54. How to Remember (and How to Forget): Scott A. Small, author of ‘Forgetting’ [reads] ‘Funes the Memorious’

2 Pages with MBS

What’s the clearest memory you have of something from a while ago? I’ve got a few flash moments that come to mind right away, but the truth is, I remember more of a feeling than I do the details, and I’m not even totally sure of the details I do remember. What if you remembered everything perfectly? Would that be amazing, or would it be onerous? My memory only gets dodgier day by day, as time ticks on. Sometimes I worry about it, and sometimes I remember that forgetting is one of the great adaptive strategies of life.

Dr. Scott A. Small is a brain mechanic; a physician who treats pathological memory disorders like Alzheimer’s, and helps people manage the terrible disease. He’s a man who celebrates the benefits of forgetting, so much that he even wrote a book about it. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/

Scott reads two pages from ‘Funes the Memorious’ by Jorge Luis Borges. [reading begins at 11:45]

Hear us discuss:

The freedom of forgetting: “You have to forget to forgive.” [21:06] | How to actively forget. [25:03] | Sustaining precious memories: “We need our memories to be ourselves.” [27:27] | Societal benefits of forgetting. [34:34]