On the Importance of Memorization

In the modern world, memory is often disparaged as unnecessary, a distraction or hindrance to progress even. Thus, the practice of rote memorization in education is frequently classified as outdated and archaic.

The reasoning goes something like this: If we have Google, we don’t need to fill our heads with long lists of information when we can just access infinite catalogs of information immediately—and from nearly anywhere! There is also the ubiquitous and cliché assertion that suggests a short pencil is better than a long memory.

Yet, memorization has, for the entire history of humanity, played vital role in the formation, flourishing, and conserving of said humanity. Ergo, it must carry some level of importance after all.

Whether it is a favorite family recipe, an important equation, like the pythagorean theorem, or the date of a child’s birth, the skill of remembering and recalling the truth of things is as natural to human beings as breathing. For example, the seemingly unlimited information one can access on Google didn’t come from nowhere.

From a cultural standpoint, it should be no surprise to us then that every dystopian novel ever highlights the theme of preserving the memory of things against some nefarious attempt to erase or alter those memories.

And from a purely human standpoint, it shouldn’t be any surprise either that diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia the elderly frequently endure are some of the most troubling to us.

Since the art of memory is both fundamental to society collectively (i.e., conserving that which is true, good, and beautiful while simultaneously avoiding the inevitable replication of some historical holocaust) and to human beings individually (i.e., remembering your wedding anniversary and your great-grandmother’s secret recipe for Spaghetti sauce), it would make sense that the development of a student’s ability to memorize and readily recall facts is also fundamental to a sound education.