Why Do We Read

The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers

Nov 4, 2009 Learning and Knowledge, Philosophy & Thinking

Illustrating decades of research with compelling and often bizarre examples of glitches and miscues, Daniel L Schacter’s The Seven Sins of Memory dusts off an old topic and finds material of both practical and theoretical interest. Chair of Harvard’s Department of Psychology, Schacter knows his stuff and how to present it memorably.

Organising the book by examining each of seven “sins” such as absent-mindedness and suggestibility, Schacter slowly builds his case that these sometimes enraging bugs are actually side effects of system features we wouldn’t want to do without. For example, when we focus our attention on one aspect of our surroundings, we inevitably draw attention away from others.

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