Memory in the Service of the Future

Abstract

In recent years, interest in memory studies has increased, though we are still witnessing an apparent lack of systematic insight into the ethical dimension of this subject. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on some aspects of the ethics of memory. Hence, apart from the cognitive and epistemological dimensions of memory, the authors of this paper pay special attention to the normative and formative dimensions of memory. Bearing in mind that the connection between memory and identity is a key source of normativity, the authors strive to demonstrate that social and political stability depends on how one relates to memory.
The first section of the paper examines certain phenomenological assumptions which need to be considered when discussing memory. The second section analyses the correlation between memory and moral values and responsibilities. The authors claim that memory is a good thing, and therefore a valuable part of life, and so they highlight certain ethical criteria of memory that should ensure the “future of memory”. With due concern for memory manipulation, the paper underlines positive advancements in the evolution of the memory paradigm at the end of the 20th century.