In short

Fragmented ('sparse') and ephemeral ('linear') modern information environments have made us a 'forgetting society', eroding a tradition that once treated memory as central to intellectual, spiritual and moral life. Drawing on figures from Augustine and Aquinas to Renaissance memory theatres and Borges' Funes, the piece notes that remembering everything is also paralysing, so the real task is choosing what to retain. AI could make capture effortless, shifting the question from 'what will I remember?' to 'what do I want to remember?'

We’ve quietly outsourced remembering, to feeds, to search, to the cloud, and in doing so lost a tradition that once put memory at the centre of intellectual and moral life.

This piece traces that arc, from Augustine and the Renaissance “memory theatres” to Borges’ Funes, the man who remembered everything and was paralysed by it. The lesson isn’t that total recall is the goal; it’s that good memory has always been about selection, choosing what’s worth keeping. Modern information environments, sparse and linear, have made that harder, nudging us toward forgetting by default.

The twist is where AI comes in. The same technology that could accelerate our forgetting could also make capture so effortless that remembering becomes a genuine choice again, shifting the question from “what will I happen to remember?” to “what do I want to remember?” That, the piece argues, is ultimately a moral question.

Key takeaways

  • Memory was historically central to spiritual and intellectual development, from Augustine to Renaissance memory theatres.
  • Modern information environments (sparse sources, short cycles, linear feeds) actively encourage forgetting.
  • Remembering everything is paralysing (cf. Borges' Funes); good memory requires deliberate selection.
  • AI could make capture and retention effortless, shifting the question to 'what do I want to remember?'
  • Remembering hard truths (war, climate) becomes a moral choice AI-augmented memory could support.

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Frequently asked questions

Why has modern society become more forgetful?
Because today's information is sparse and linear, fragmented sources and fast, ephemeral feeds, which removes the repetition and reinforcement that older, more circular knowledge cultures relied on to remember.
Is it good to remember everything?
No. As Borges' Funes illustrates, total recall is paralysing and blocks abstraction; effective memory depends on deliberately selecting what is worth retaining.
How could AI change human memory?
By making capture and retention nearly effortless, AI could shift remembering from chance to choice, turning 'what will I remember?' into 'what do I want to remember?', a deliberate and even moral act.

People & ideas in this piece

St AugustineThomas AquinasGiordano BrunoJorge Luis BorgesMary CarruthersAndy MatuschakMichael NielsenSpaced repetitionThe Art of MemoryAnki

Topics: AI, Time & Society