Will she have no memory of things here below? Will she not, for
instance, remember that she devoted herself to philosophy; and that,
during her residence on the earth, she contemplated the intelligible
world? No: for an intelligence entirely devoted to the object of its
thought, cannot simultaneously contemplate the intelligible and think
something else. The act of thought does not imply the memory of having
thought.
IN THE INTELLIGIBLE WORLD ALL THINGS ARE SIMULTANEOUS; HENCE NOT
REMEMBERED.
But this memory is posterior to thought! In this case, the mind in
which it occurs has changed condition. It is therefore impossible
that he who is entirely devoted to the pure contemplation of the
intelligible should simultaneously remember the things that formerly
happened to him here below. If, as it seems, thought is outside of
time, because all the intelligible essences, being eternal, have no
relation with time, it is evidently impossible that the intelligence
which has raised itself to the intelligible world should have any
memory of the things here below, or even have absolutely any memory
whatever; for each (of the essences of the intelligible world) are
always present to the intelligence which is not obliged to go through
them successively, passing from one to the other.