It is wild to think of time before everything was written. The only way to pass on information is through oral communication. The concept only seems foreign because in our world today nothing is oral. Communication is done simply by typing a few words and hitting send. Hardly anyone has full on conversations especially face to face. I know a lot of people who would have a hard time if we were before texting and emailing.
With writing an essay, speech or texting I can always go back and reread what I wrote. I can make changes along with looking it over a few times. However, the oral culture doesn’t allow for a person to sit and think with their thoughts. Nor can a person go back and revise their wording. With oral communication there is no definite way of anything being said. Different words could be used or intertwined from conversation to conversation. Meaning even if a person is speaking about the same thing multiple times the wording changes.
Think of all the remembering that had to be done over the years before the written texts. I wouldn’t do too well in that regard as I have the memory of Dory from Finding Nemo. A lot of people tend to write when people speak or when they are listening to something.
I disagree with this phrase from Plato that states “For this invention [writing] will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory.” I don’t agree with this because I actually retain more when I am writing or copying something. Compared to when I am just sitting and listening to someone speak. There are people out there that can remember without writing and those who can’t.
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