Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A theory of memory

8.1 K-lines: a theory of memory
8.2 Re-membering
8.3 Mental states and dispositions
8.4 Partial mental states
8.5 Level-bands
8.6 Levels
8.7 Fringes
8.8 Societies of memories
8.9 Knowledge-trees
8.10 Levels and classifications
8.11 Layers of societies

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8 A theory of memory, p 81
"...the person within me who was at this moment enjoying this
impression enjoyed in it the qualities which it possessed that
were common to both an earlier day and the present moment; and
this person came into play only when, by this process of
identifying past with present, he could find himself in the only
environment in which he could live, that is to say, entirely
outside of time." -Marcel Proust.

8.1 K-lines: a theory of memory, p 82
...we keep each thing we learn close to the agents that learn it
in the first place.
Knowledge-line.
...we "memorize" what we're thinking about by making a list of
the agents involved in that activity.

8.3 Mental states and dispositions, 84
The experiences we find the easiest to recollect are often just
the kinds we find the hardest to describe.
...describe [...] would require [...] to summarize that [...]
activity...

8.5 Level-bands, p 86
We learn by attaching agents to K-lines. [...] we make strong
connections at a certain level of detail, but we make weaker
connections at higher or lower levels.
...weakly activated memories [are] *assumptions by default*
[what is usual or typical].

8.6 Levels, p 87
[memory] can only recall our minds to prior states.

8.7 Fringes, p 88
Both fringing effects [Lower and upper bands] serve to make our
memories more relevant to our present purposes. The central
level-band helps us find general resemblances between remembered
events and present circumstances. The lower fringe supplies
additional details [...]. [...] the upper fringe recalls to mind
some memories of previous goals.

Lower: concerned with structure.
Upper: concerned with function.

8.9 Knowledge-trees, p 90
It should not always be required to produce simple, orderly
hierarchy-trees [...] Eventually, all of our knowledge-
structures become entangled with various sorts of exceptions,
shortcuts, and cross-connections.

8.10 Levels and classifications, p 91
We frequently use two or more classifications at the same time
[example: porcelain duck - toy, bird, animal, piece of clay...]

8.11 Layers of societies, p 92
The K-lines of each agency grow into a new society. [...] Let's
call the original agents *S-agents* and call their society the
*S-society*. [...] we can imagine building memories for it by
constructing a corresponding K-society for it.
The connections in the K-society are similar to those in the S-
society, except that the signals tend to flow in the opposite
directions.

As S-agents excite K-agents and vice-versa, [...] the system
might soon become chaotic. [...] However, we can easily imagine
how yet another, third agency could confine and control the K-S
system's activity - by specifying which level-band should remain
active and suppressing all the rest. Indeed, that is precisely
the sort of coarse control that a B-brain might exercise.