The Method of Loci

So many articles and books cite Frances Yates' "The Art of Memory", but it seems almost nobody has actually read it judging by which parts are typically cited. After years of nagging curiosity (especially after reading "Moonwalking with Einstein") I eventually dove in and found it fascinating. The book has little concern for mnemonics, per se. Instead it traces the evolution of the Method of Loci from a humdrum technique taught to every student in Plato's time to an obscure technique only monastics practiced (almost unknowingly) in the Middle Ages to an esoteric aspect of Renaissance paintings that had nothing to do with mnemonics.

Of course, much of it is based on thin evidence given that after Ancient Greece very few people ever wrote about the method itself--IIRC, by the time of Cicero who obliquely referenced it, it was probably beginning to wane as a purely practical method of instruction, and by the time of Augustine it's roots and original function had likely already been forgotten. But she makes a very cold, scholarly (at least scholarly to someone lacking a Ph.D in ancient literature or art) and utterly persuasive argument.

In particular, it partly explains practices like the Stations of the Cross, which are central to the architecture of Christian cathedrals. And it helps to explain the evolution of the use of sophisticated and, over the centuries, increasingly esoteric symbolism in European art--far beyond what is typical in other cultures. Perhaps most importantly, though, it really helps to frame much of Plato's philosophy: the usefulness of the Method of Loci was (arguably) to Plato a reflection of the superiority of ideas over physical manifestations; when you're using the Method of Loci, and your memory in general, you're [more closely] interacting with real reality. IOW, the Method of Loci was like Machine Learning today: a practical yet seemingly magical technique that some eager scholars believed hinted at deeper truths about the mind and human experience.

To anybody who liked "Moonwalking with Einstein": if you found the historical bits interesting, and are up to less entertaining reading, though still fascinating journey, I highly recommend "The Art of Memory".

I used this method on an art history exam during my Freshman year of college (>10 years ago). We had to memorize an absurd amount of details pertaining to different works of art.

I still remember all of it. Strangely, not only do I remember the information, but also how I visualized it within the space - like, they way that I “wrote” it.

Close your eyes and try to remember a space from your childhood, like your home or a particular room of your home. Now mentally walk through it, e.g. room by room or nook by nook. What kind of details do you remember? Colors? Objects? Are you impressed at all by the fidelity with which you can remember those things?

Using the Method of Loci is premised on leveraging that sort of visual-spatial fidelity, providing a large number of distinct loci that you can readily recall. Often times people will reuse their childhood home or similar space (e.g. a bus route between home and school) precisely because they can already remember the details so well. Most people usually only have one or a handful of "palaces" that they use. The hard part of the Method of Loci is creating mental narrations for placing facts with the imagery. That can take alot of practice.

Usually it's a place you're already familiar with intimately, such as a house, or a route that you walk through to for fun for example.

I don't think it comes naturally to most people, at least not in the sense of effortless application. It takes deliberate effort, not only in laying out your memory palace, but especially in refining the loci imagery and becoming efficient at creating associations for new material.

I've dabbled in it just enough to develop an appreciation for it, but never became very skillful. You can compare the Method of Loci to poetry, which is an historically far more important and widely practiced mnemonic technique with more obvious neurological roots. Applying poetry for long works (not just your favorite song), either for memorization or especially composition, still requires significant practice, and is likewise a mostly forgotten [practical] art form displaced by ever more modern technologies.

It doesn't work without dedicated effort actually, for most people. You need to train the technique.

People with aphantasia can use the techniques. There are some discussions about it here, including one member with aphantasia who can memorize dozens of random digits in less than 60 seconds.

https://forum.artofmemory.com/tag/aphantasia