Re: Using unmaintained plugins

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Bithov Vinu <bithov.vinub@gmail.com> [2021-04-18 16:15]:
> Hi,
> 
> I recently began to use Emacs org-drill (see:
> https://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-drill.html) in Emacs which is an
> unmaintained Emacs package for scheduling and reviewing flashcards
> using a spaced
> repetition <https://www.gwern.net/Spaced-repetition> algorithm.

The page explains the classical condition of memorizing it versus
understanding it. People who do not understand what they read will
tend to memorize it as by repetition. By repetition one can memorize
anything, for example parts of foreign language, then can repeat it,
but will not be able to apply it practically neither as it was never
understood in the first place.

Those people who would learn let us say some phrases of foreign
language by understanding each word and full sentences and by applying
words in sentences and in real life, would never forget about it, and
also would not need the feeling to memorize it.

IMHO, the whole concept is upside down, I find it as a useless
disadvise as it brings people into such a wrong direction of
thinking -- which is to memorize things without understanding and
without associations.

Then associations instead of repetitions are used as a learning
method, even then, a person need not have more than just one occurence
of proper association, even for most stupidest things, to memorize the
whole set even for life if necessary. No repetitions necessary.

That is called mnemotechnic. It utilizes the power of association.

We understand things by associations. This is similar to Emacs Lisp
building of functions, as the majority of new function and variable is
related to some previous functions and that is why program works. It
relies on some previous foundation.

Without association some people may say "to memorize it", but I find
it an abuse of mind whereby mind is perfectly capable to understand
things by association, forget about it and remember it at any time in
future.

Example is the word:

The adj mnemonic has 1 sense (no senses from tagged texts)
1. mnemonic, mnemotechnic, mnemotechnical -- (of or relating to or involved the practice of aiding the memory; "mnemonic device")

If person would not know the meaning of "memory" in the above
definition, person would not have the association necessary to
understand what would mnemonic mean. The association would be missing,
and thus full understanding, because there is no association, when
there is a real life need to use the word mnemonic, person would not
be able to associate the memorized definition.

To memorize would mean to remember without understanding. You can
repeat that sentence many times you want, if you don't know the
meaning of "memory" -- and you can repeat it, but you if you don't
know the maning of memory, there is no way that you may really acquire
the understanding versus memorizing.

You have to know also more than meaning of "memory", learner would
need to know meaning of adjective, sense, what means "relating" and
all other words such as "aiding" and similar, so that full association
in proper context may be understood. Even then, person rather should
practice either in one's own mind or by talking that sentence. As for
example, one can learn and understand the sentence in German: "Was
kosten diese Kaiser brötchen?" but if one applies that sentence in
real life in a bakery to ask for price of Emperor's buns, then that
accomplishes realistically full association and helps person
understand it probably forever.

For those things which are harder to memorize such as birthdays,
faces, phone numbers, various labels and similar, those things which
are harder to associate to something, one uses mnemotechnics, such as
on https://artofmemory.com/start/ or
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-mnemonics.html yet
even those mnemotechnics share the basic methods of associations.

-- 
Jean

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