Nietzsche on Memory and Active Forgetting |
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Authors: | Zeynep Talay Turner |
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Institution: | Department of Comparative Literature and MA in Philosophy and Social Thought, Istanbul Bilgi Universitesi, Emniyettepe Mahallesi, Kaz?m Karabekir Cd. No:13 D:2, 34060 Eyüp/?stanbul, Istanbul 34387, Turkey |
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Abstract: | This article explores Nietzsche’s approach to the fundamental question of “how to live one’s life”, and more specifically his view of the role of the past in seeking an answer to this question. By discussing Nietzsche’s views of how different nations and cultures relate to their history, I suggest some comparisons with how individuals might do so. Common to both is the relationship between the past as a resource and as a burden: the burden of single events or periods and the burden of the abundance of facts. Key to Nietzsche’s thinking on these questions is his account of the relationship between remembering, promising, and forgetting. He considers “active forgetting” paradoxically as both a form of forgetting and a way of taking full responsibility for the past. |
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Keywords: | Nietzsche historical awareness remembering promising active forgetting the sovereign individual |
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