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though a certain female family member would disagree, claiming to remember conversations word-for-word years later Surely many people do. Otherwise you wouldn'
by petercooper 5y ago
though a certain female family member would disagree, claiming to remember conversations word-for-word years later
Surely many people do. Otherwise you wouldn't have all these biographies and non-fiction books packed with conversations people have managed to recall in a level of detail enough to not get sued. I can barely remember a line of conversation from this week, let alone important ones from years ago, so I always assumed most/many people can remember conversations to some reasonable level in a way that I cannot.
- jjeaff 5y agoI think most people remember the basic concepts and then they fill in the details using what they know about the situation and participants. I have remembered events a certain way that in my mind was very clear. But upon reviewing said events in old video, it turns out I got quite a few details wrong. Sometimes two people will recall the same event very differently. Which is why I think our justice system relies far too heavily on witness testimony.
- jfk13 5y agoI suspect many (most?) conversations in biographies and non-fiction books are not necessarily quoted verbatim. In most cases, the author may at best have had access to diaries or other notes from the time that recorded a summary of what was said, or they may have interviewed people who, years later, summarised what they recall -- more or less accurately -- being discussed. The author may then present this in the form of quoted speech in order to make it more vivid and compelling for today's reader, but it rarely corresponds to a precise transcript of the original conversation.