  I argue that European schools of thought on memory and memorization were
critical in enabling the growth of the scientific method. After giving a
historical overview of the development of the memory arts from ancient Greece
through 17th century Europe, I describe how the Baconian viewpoint on the
scientific method was fundamentally part of a culture and a broader dialogue
that conceived of memorization as a foundational methodology for structuring
knowledge and for developing symbolic means for representing scientific
concepts. The principal figures of this intense and rapidly evolving
intellectual milieu included some of the leading thinkers traditionally
associated with the scientific revolution; among others, Francis Bacon, Renes
Descartes, and Gottfried Leibniz. I close by examining the acceleration of
mathematical thought in light of the art of memory and its role in 17th century
philosophy, and in particular, Leibniz' project to develop a universal
calculus.
