Metodo

International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Book | Chapter

202666

Misled by metaphor

Nicholas Carr

pp. 67-69

Abstract

Two thousand years ago, the Roman philosopher Seneca used a charming metaphor to describe the way memory shapes intellect. "We should imitate bees", he wrote; "we should mingle all the various nectars we have tasted, and then turn them into a single sweet substance, in such a way that, even if it is apparent where it originated, it appears quite different from what it was in its original state".1 As his metaphor makes clear, Seneca viewed memory not as a mere container but as a crucible. Memory was more than the sum of things remembered. It was something newly made, the essence, even, of a singular self.

Publication details

Published in:

Groes Sebastian (2016) Memory in the twenty-first century: new critical perspectives from the arts, humanities, and sciences. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Pages: 67-69

DOI: 10.1057/9781137520586_8

Full citation:

Carr Nicholas (2016) „Misled by metaphor“, In: S. Groes (ed.), Memory in the twenty-first century, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 67–69.