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I don't take notes. (It's worth pondering whether taking notes is really an aid to internal remembering...) In any case, what I was trying to point out was that it could be the case that we actually remember almost everything, but have real difficulties in recalling our memories without cues. (It's also worth pondering just what it is that "autistic savants" might actually be doing ...)

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Aren't we reading, in part, for recall of insights (during conversations, brainstorming, or otherwise)?

If we take notes, our eyes are away from the text itself, practicing a simple exercise in recall. In a sense, you are "chunking" the concept.

In addition, the commonplace book become your second brain, an accumulation of cues that will trigger the chunks. A semi-permanent digital repository of knowledge that you can tap into on need-basis.

Whizzing through a book without necessary stops for chunking seems to put to question why we read in the first place.

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