Confessions - Book X - Chapter XI
St. Augustine explores the nature of memory and understanding, emphasizing how the mind gathers and organizes knowledge already present within itself.
In this teaching from Confessions Book X, Chapter XI, St. Augustine delves into the workings of the human mind, particularly focusing on memory and cognition. He articulates how knowledge is not newly acquired but recalled from within, emphasizing the importance of mental reflection and organization. This sermon invites listeners to understand the profound nature of learning as an internal process of gathering and arranging what is already known.
Text
18. Thus we find that learning those things whose images we do not take in by our senses, but which we intuit within ourselves without images and as they actually are, is nothing else except the gathering together of those same things which the memory already contains--but in an indiscriminate and confused manner--and putting them together by careful observation as they are at hand in the memory; so that whereas they formerly lay hidden, scattered, or neglected, they now come easily to present themselves to the mind which is now familiar with them. And how many things of this sort my memory has stored up, which have already been discovered and, as I said, laid up for ready reference. These are the things we may be said to have learned and to know. Yet, if I cease to recall them even for short intervals of time, they are again so submerged--and slide back, as it were, into the further reaches of the memory--that they must be drawn out again as if new from the same place (for there is nowhere else for them to have gone) and must be collected [cogenda] so that they can become known. In other words, they must be gathered up [colligenda] from their dispersion. This is where we get the word cogitate [cogitare]. For cogo [collect] and cogito [to go on collecting] have the same relation to each other as ago [do] and agito [do frequently], and facio [make] and factito [make frequently]. But the mind has properly laid claim to this word [cogitate] so that not everything that is gathered together anywhere, but only what is collected and gathered together in the mind, is properly said to be \"cogitated.\"
Sermon Outline
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I. The Nature of Memory
- Memory stores knowledge in a scattered and confused manner
- Learning is the recollection and organization of what memory holds
- The mind must actively gather and arrange these memories
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II. The Process of Cognition
- Cogitation means collecting thoughts within the mind
- The mind frequently revisits and organizes knowledge
- Understanding arises from this mental gathering
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III. The Relationship Between Memory and Learning
- Learning is not acquiring new things but recalling what is already stored
- Forgetting is temporary dispersion within memory
- Active recollection brings knowledge to present awareness
Key Quotes
“Learning those things whose images we do not take in by our senses, but which we intuit within ourselves without images and as they actually are, is nothing else except the gathering together of those same things which the memory already contains.” — St. Augustine
“The mind has properly laid claim to this word [cogitate] so that not everything that is gathered together anywhere, but only what is collected and gathered together in the mind, is properly said to be 'cogitated.'” — St. Augustine
“If I cease to recall them even for short intervals of time, they are again so submerged--and slide back, as it were, into the further reaches of the memory.” — St. Augustine
Application Points
- Practice regular reflection to bring scattered knowledge into clear understanding.
- Recognize that learning involves active mental engagement, not just passive reception.
- Trust that knowledge resides within and can be recalled through intentional thought.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does St. Augustine mean by 'cogitate'?
He explains 'cogitate' as the mental process of gathering and organizing thoughts and memories within the mind.
Is learning acquiring new information according to Augustine?
No, Augustine teaches that learning is recalling and arranging knowledge already present in memory.
How does Augustine describe memory?
Memory is described as a storehouse of knowledge that can be scattered and submerged but is always present within the mind.
Why is active recollection important?
Because knowledge can slip into obscurity, active recollection is necessary to bring it back into conscious awareness.