Intelligence Amplification

A Man must get a thing before he can forget it. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Wisdom of Thomas Aquinas - Fresco by Andrea da Firenze

This fourteenth-century fresco is on the walls of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. It pictures the wisdom and virtue of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas is sitting on a throne, surrounded by flying figures representing the three theological virtues (Faith; steadfastness in belief, Hope; expectation of good and Love; selfless, unconditional, and voluntary loving-kindness) and four cardinal virtues (Prudentia=prudence; proper judgement of reasons for action with regard to appropriateness in a context, Justitia=justice; proper judgement regarding individual human interests, rights and desserts, Fortitudo = fortitude; forbearance, endurance, and ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation and Temperantia=temperance; practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation).

There is a lot to see in this picture on a theological level, but what is of interest now are the female figures sitting in niches symbolizing the knowledge of Thomas. The seven figures on the right represent the liberal arts, from right to left: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Music, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy. The first three are also known ast the “Trivium“, the other four as the “Quadrivium“.

Septem Artes Liberales by Herrad von Landsberg's "Hortus deliciarum" (1180)

The liberal arts are still the guide to education, aiming to acquire a general knowledge and developing intellectual capacities.However, the scope of our 21-century wikipedia is much bigger than Thomas’ Summa, so it is impossible to know everything about everything.

Google helps us to save all the available knowledge, yeah, but what is on a server @Google is not always accessible to my mind, so I still want to save, edit, recall as much information I can handle. Learning strategies may help us, so this is a round-up about some techniques I use to build up my brain:

• Basic study strategies: I made an outline of the book “Your memory. How it works and how to improve it.” by Kenneth Higbee. I used the Brain for representing the information, you’ll find it here (opens in a new window).
• Bloom’s Taxonomy:

• Mindmapping: I’ve written on this subject before, no reason to repeat myself. Only that the range of MindMaptools is stillexpanding: I prefer Freemind, but there are other applications: see my delicious bookmarks for a more extensive list. However, I have tried The Brain software recently, which offers a quite new perspective on MindMapping.
• The Student Academic Resource Centre of the University of Florida offers a lot of Learning Skill Handouts. Collect them all!
• Edward deBono’s CoRT: CoRT = Cognitive research Trust. You can find an outline of the principles at his website. But, again, The Brain put it all in perspective for me.
• Edward deBono’s Thinking Hats: Part of DeBono’s thinking Skills. I’ve adjusted them to my own habits, four example I only have a four-color pen, not six. So, when note-taking or -making, I use Blue for facts, Black for disadvantages, Green for what I like and Red for references, things I have to do or to evaluate someday/maybe. (it works good with my GTD habits)
• Finally There is the multiple intelligence principle of Howard Gardner, developed in 1983.
• Of course there are still four great “”Mental Filing” techniques. I will mention them here, but they require a lot of training:
• • The Link-system (or chain-system)
  • The Phonetic system
  • The Peg mnemonic system
  • The Memory Palace.

  The last system has been treated extensively by Frances Yates in “The Art of Memory”.

Well, as you can see, there is enough; you can make a study of study techniques without getting wiser:-).

I personally think there is not one style, but you need different techniques for different things you must learn. And, of course, the best way of learning is playing; doing things.

I will finish this blog with the lyrics of a song about the mnemonics of Giordano Bruno:

Vintersorg Ars Memorativa Lyrics:
THROUGH THE LABYRINTH OF THE MIND.

You built all memories on a framework
of the zodiac and other known structures,
every thought was linked to a special picture.
You stigmatized their keenness and location
on a deep and shrouded level. Remembering, controling
was the way to higher knowledge.

In the nature you saw the outlines of an universal intelligence,
every process a reflecting mirror. Symbols meant to trigger
the shadow of the ideas in the maze of recollection.
A vortex of information reigned inside
and found its way,
THROUGH THE LABYRINTH OF THE MIND.
With self-hypnosis you put it in
a dynamic pattern,
IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE MIND

No physical laws were rooted in your system
everything was forces of thoughts and sensations,
which is streaming through man.

Mist and rain just a condition of unawareness,
and volcanos a state of rage.

A prophet in cosmology, like Copernicus
you saw the stars as suns.
And a warrior who fought with intellctual swords,
with arrow-sharp words.

In the nature you saw the outlines of an universal intelligence,
every process a reflecting mirror. Symbols meant to trigger
the shadow of the ideas in the maze of recollection.
A vortex of information reigned inside
and found its way,
THROUGH THE LABYRINTH OF THE MIND.
With self-hypnosis you put it in
a dynamic pattern,
IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE MIND