Metaphors of memory
Subtitle: a history of ideas about the mind
By: Douwe Draaisma
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 241
Subjects: Memory -- History
Work titles: Metaforenmachine een geschiedenis van het geheugen.
Description: "What is memory? It is at the same time ephemeral, unreliable and essential to everything we do. Without memory we lose our sense of identity, reasoning, even our ability to perform simple physical tasks. Yet it is also elusive and difficult to define, and throughout the ages philosophers and psychologists have used metaphors as a way of understanding it. This fascinating book takes the reader on a guided tour of these metaphors of memory from ancient times to the present day. Crossing continents and disciplines, it provides a compelling history of ideas about the mind by exploring the way these metaphors have been used - metaphors often derived from the techniques and instruments developed over the years to store information, ranging from wax tablets and books to photography, computers and even the hologram. Accessible and thought provoking, this book should be read by anyone who is interested in memory and the mind."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and indexes