In defense of memorization: long-term memory is your L1 cache, not a relic
floguo · x · 2026-11-10
johnloeber's long-form essay (retweeted by floguo, quoting zetalyrae) argues memorization has been unfairly maligned: long-term memory vs. a Google search is like L1 cache vs. RAM — people underrate both the cost of looking things up and the benefit of effortless recall.
Education's fixation on "critical thinking" over rote facts backfired: many people get stuck in abstract-reasoning debates whose sophisticated arguments collapse because they're simply wrong about underlying facts. Solid command of "dates and names" shortcuts enormous amounts of faulty reasoning.
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