Full Idea
In memory everything is preserved separately, according to its category.
Gist of Idea
Memories are preserved separately, according to category
Source
Augustine (Confessions [c.398], X.08)
Book Reference
Augustine: 'Confessions', ed/tr. Pine-Coffin,R.S. [Penguin 1961], p.214
A Reaction
This strikes me as the first seeds of the idea that the mind functions by means of mental files. Our memories of cats are 'close to' or 'linked to' our memories of dogs.
Related Ideas
Idea 6160 Does Kant say the mind imposes categories, or that it restricts us to them? [Rowlands on Kant]
Idea 15703 Memories often conform to a theory, rather than being neutral [Gelman]