Unconscious Memory

Samuel ButlerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 428K words
Chapters: 43

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Unconscious Memory by Samuel ButlerAuthor: Butler, Samuel, 1835-1902,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Oct 1, 2004

Editor's review

Samuel Butler's Unconscious Memory is a scientific essay with a polemical bent. It discusses whether memory belongs only to the conscious level and links habit, heredity, and unconscious memory in its reflections. It is not a strict experimental report but rather a cross-disciplinary response by a learned author to the biological and psychological questions of his time; the style is witty and satirical, so it is not dull to read. For today's readers interested in memory research, the intellectual history of evolution, and science writing, this book offers a nineteenth-century perspective that helps explain how the relevant questions were posed and debated. Because the original is in English and the book is early, some scientific background has been updated; it should be read as material for intellectual history rather than cutting-edge conclusions, and comparing it with modern works on memory research will make its value clearer.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in memory, the unconscious, and the intellectual history of evolution
Readers who enjoy scientific essays and polemical writing
Students in psychology and biology who want to broaden their horizons
Readers who want to understand the background of nineteenth-century scientific debates

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking cutting-edge conclusions of modern memory research
Beginners who need systematic textbooks and prefer structured knowledge
Learners who have difficulty reading English and have no parallel translation

Reading tips

Read a brief introduction to nineteenth-century evolution and psychology before starting the main text.
Treat the book's views as historical discussion and mark differences from modern research as you read.
Read it alongside a general modern book on memory or unconscious research for comparison.
Note the author's polemical tone and satire, and appreciate the style of scientific writing.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book about modern memory science?

No. It was written in the nineteenth century and discusses the debates of its time about memory, habit, and heredity; it is material for intellectual history. Its views cannot be taken as conclusions of modern memory science. It is advisable to read it alongside modern research works to understand how the questions evolved to the present.

What does "unconscious memory" in the title mean?

The book discusses it in connection with habit, heredity, and related matters, questioning whether memory is limited to the conscious level. The specific argument should be based on the original text; readers should not directly apply modern terminology but understand it in the nineteenth-century biological and psychological context.

What English level is needed to read it?

The original is in English, with a sentence style typical of nineteenth-century essays and a polemical and satirical tone. General English reading ability is enough to attempt it, but when encountering biological and philosophical terms, it is advisable to look them up; if reading is difficult, find relevant Chinese background materials first.

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About the author

Samuel Butler Author · British · 1835–1902

Samuel Butler (1835–1902) was a British novelist and essayist. Born into a clergyman's family in Nottinghamshire, he graduated from Cambridge University and later went to New Zealand to run a sheep station. He is known for the satirical utopian novel Erewhon and the posthumously published autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh. The former uses an imaginary country as a mirror to critique Victorian education, religion, and morality, while the latter examines growth and family relations through a family narrative. He also wrote Erewhon Revisited, The Note-Books of Samuel Butler, The Authoress of the Odyssey, and works on life, art, science, evolution, and memory, spanning fiction, essays, and intellectual commentary, often with an ironic and skeptical tone.