Why splitting memory by type matters

The unifying lesson, stated directly in the "Practical Guide," is to start with explicit temporal scopes. Do not build a vague, all-purpose "memory." When you need episodic memory, build episodic memory. When the use case grows to need semantic memory, build that. Do not try to find one system that does everything, and do not build every form of memory before you actually need it. Each type has a different lifespan, a different curation rule, and a different failure mode, so treating them separately is what keeps the whole system manageable.