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How did Shakespeare know so much about the mind? Started 2025 trying to read a sonnet/scene every day and I'm consistently amazed at how he anticipated so many findings from cognitive science on memory, learning and behaviour. Made some notes🧵⬇️

One idea I've had in my mind for over 20 years now is Harold Bloom's assertion that Shakespeare shaped the modern mind but I don't think I really understood that until I studied memory, cognition and learning.

I'd say the two most perceptive ideas Shakespeare had on this were 1. the constructive and unreliable nature of memory ("remembrance of things past." etc.)

and 2. the idea of cognitive dissonance specifically the notion of paradox and irresolution. This is evident EVERYWHERE in the language (Fair is foul, and foul is fair etc.)

I agree with Bloom that Shakespeare's rendering of human personality has never been bettered. And by the way, for that reason alone he should be studied in school. But he was incredibly perceptive about how the brain learns, remembers, understands and even how it deceives itself.

In Sonnet 59 Shakespeare makes the argument that creativity is nothing really to do with the romanticised idea of conjuring up something new ex-nihilo, but rather something recombinative; in other words the reorganisation, adaptation, and integration of pre-existing knowledge and experiences.

Ausubel's idea of "subsumers" is useful here. The idea that existing, organized knowledge structures in a learner's long-term memory serve as anchors for integrating new information.

Subsumers are concepts, ideas, or frameworks that are already familiar to the learner, providing a foundation for meaningful learning to occur.

In other words, The richer and more organised the subsumers in a learner's mind, the more material they have to creatively adapt, reorganize, and integrate, leading to innovation and insight.

Fascinating thread many thanks for sharing. Also, I'm delivering a session on Ausubel's theory on Thursday and I've been struggling to nail my explanation. This helps to clarify it massively for me so thanks for that also!!