Memory and forgetting. Socio-philosophical analysis of differences on the example of archaic Greece

The study is devoted to the currently popular issue of memory and forgetting. In connection with the resonant global events on the demolition of monuments, the socio-philosophical analysis of this problem seems relevant. The research methodology is Niklas Luhmann’s theory of “autopoietic” social systems. Within the framework of this concept, it is paid a special role to memory as a regulator of intrasystem reference. It works as a function of forming the boundaries of the system based on past events and distinctions. Memory is understood as a necessary tool that constitutes the current state of the system. Within the framework of the trend of “social constructivism”, to which N. Luhmann’s theory belongs, language is considered the basis of social “framing”, memory captured in words. Therefore, considerable attention is paid to the etymology and history of the concepts of memory/forgetting, as well as the dynamics of changes in semantic connotations. On the example of the distinctions adopted in archaic Greece, which is the “cradle” of Western European culture, the main mechanisms of memory/forgetting are considered and the semantic core of this opposition is indicated. Particular attention is paid to the objects and methods of memorization in an archaic society. Memory as a regulator of semantic distinctions in ancient Hellas kept the basic principles in society that determined the sphere of right behavior. The external expression of these principles was allowed to be fixed in material objects if it satisfied the criteria of significance for the polis. In the conclusion of the study, an analogy with modern society is proposed, in which the “monopoly” on socially significant memory belongs to the state, which seeks to preserve its “imaginary” construction of social reality.

memory, forgetting, “autopoietic” systems, Niklas Luhmann, semantic distinctions, archaic Greece