多瑪斯論“記憶”―心智金庫的寶藏

亞里斯多德(Aristotle, 384-322 B.C.)在《論記憶與回憶》(On Memory and Reminiscence)中認為不是有好記性的人，就是一個善於回憶的人，一般來說，穩重的人善於記憶，而反應快速、敏於學習的人則有好的回憶能力。奧斯定(Augustine, Aurelius Augustiunus, 354-430)認為記憶藉由感性認識再經理性加以接收封存的，但是記憶的作用必須在同一心智的意志操使它的權力下，才能發揮作用，理智事實上是無法從容去認識的。對多瑪斯(Thomas Aquinas, 1224/5-1274)而言「記憶」屬於人類四種內在感官之一，是認識已往事物的能力。人類的每一種「感覺」(sensation)與「知覺」(perception)均假定與記憶合作，否則人不可能有認識。關於多瑪斯對記憶的觀點，本文先從人的認識過程，點出記憶與「明智」(prudence)的關係。接下來則對記憶的作用以及能力詳加論述，同時包括了記憶在靈魂能力中的歸屬，以及處理了「理智記憶」(intellectual memory)與理智區分的問題。文末則以記憶理論與當代科學研究之對照，指出多瑪斯記憶理論，應用在人的理性認識中的細緻及歷久彌新。

關鍵字

記憶；回憶；記憶力；明智；感官意象／心象

並列摘要

In his work, On Memory and Reminiscence, Aristotle (384-322B.C.) pointed out that people are either bestowed with good memory or good reminiscence, while those who are mature and calm are generally good in memory, and those who have a quick mind are good in reminiscence. Aurelius Augustiunus (354-430) believed that memory is first cognized by sensibility before it's received and sealed by rationality. But the function of memory can't be developed without being manipulated by the will of the same mind, and therefore memory is something that can't be cognized easily by intellect. For Thomas Aquinas (1224/5-1274) memory is one of the four internal senses of human beings, that is, the capacity to cognize what happened in the past. Every sensation and perception of human beings is assumed to be in cooperation with memory, otherwise human beings would not have any cognition. Regarding Thomas Aquinas's ideas about memory, the writer will point out the relationship between memory and prudence by means of the process of cognition. Then we will discourse on the function and capacity of memory along with the distinction between intellectual memory and intellect. Finally this paper is to compare the theories on memory and the contemporary scientific scholarship so as to point out how elaborate and enduring Aquinas's theory about memory is as applied to the rational cognition of human beings.