If you don't remember something then your brain can't do pattern matching based on that information. And pattern matching is the basis of any thinking process.

If you don't remember something then your brain can't do pattern matching based on that information. And pattern matching is the basis of any thinking process. So, yes, Google won't help you with that. But, you can retrieve and memorize just patterns from the information and forget the details. This is my way of thinking, I believe. Still far from optimal, because you can miss important patterns before forgetting the details.