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The art of memory is an art that supports memory by means of images and places.
The Art of Memory
In classical writings on rhetoric (see “Rhetoric”), the process of developing a speech is divided into five phases. After inventing arguments for a certain cause (inventio), the orator has to arrange his arguments in such a way that his audience will easily follow his reasoning (dispositio). Then he has to sculpt and polish his sentences into their most desirable form (elocutio). In the end, the entire speech has to be learned by heart (memoria) before it can ever be delivered in a convincing way (actio). For this memorizing practice, the art of memory can be of great help. The orator has to place images that reminded him of his arguments alongside a track through a well-known building. In delivering his speech, he goes for an imaginary walk through the building and, encountering the images, is sure not to forget his arguments...
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References
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Mertens, M. (2020). Art of Memory. In: Jalobeanu, D., Wolfe, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20791-9_320-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20791-9_320-1
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