Philosophy of history.

Essay 'Memory, History, Forgetting'.

In his book 'Memory, History, Forgetting', Paul Ricoeur speaks to us and interprets for us.
the use we can give to memory in relation to history; these are the words
that will be present throughout his work and emphasizing a series of temporal issues
where man has given a certain character and, in a certain way, shaped its form and structure
rationale in historiographical issues and how memory and forgetting are present in
these same issues.

What is of interest in this essay is to reveal the formal structure of what the
the author attempts to explain to us, thus, responding to a series of questions or, better said, to
a single question that could encompass, in a concise and direct way, the relationship that exists
between these three concepts that our author offers us. In a way, we are not interested in the
To ponder the bibliographic issues of the aforementioned author, but it is important the
to rescue and say thank you for your thought and/or phenomenological description about the
hermeneutic interpretation, established his Hermeneutic Philosophy where he established four
streams that would build it; mentioning it is important due to historiographical criticism
what us provides Ricoeur.
Now, our initial question, and on which I will work to provide an answer with a
The rational logical structure, based, of course, on Ricoeur's text is the following: In what
What is the relationship between memory and history?

The idea that is managed about history is, without an absolute emphasis, vague and scattered among the
subjects that inhabit a growing society; the different conceptions it has
Ricoeur, regarding history, have contributed to the emphasis and historiographical criticism that, if
A problem unfolds regarding the work of other authors, the arguments under the
the works of Ricoeur maintain a notion of reflective criticism around the facts
past events that have marked, in some way, the lives of people (both individually and
collectively. With this, and with his idea of reflection, the role that plays is made present.
philosophy in this whole issue, as it is the one that allows for an analysis, in a more
detailed, on the role that time, forgetting, and memory have within the historical subject.

Now, breaking down, so to speak, the information about our author

It is important to answer our main question clearly and concisely.
Philosophy of history.
Essay 'Memory, History, Oblivion'.

Let's move on to the first issue: memory; the importance of this first concept.
it is vital for our author. It is the memory where the representation of something can be given
nonexistent, but in the past it had presence. This process of representation is vital
to understand and observe how time is an important resource, a resource that
help to create a story as close to reality as possible. This representation work
marks a temporality of what was, what is, and even what will be, likewise, the part
what is more important is and will be what was. Under this notion of 'what was,' Ricoeur tells us that
it is one of the hardest parts that human beings have to face, this is because the
most events are subject to injustices, pain, or suffering that must be,
no matter how hard it seems, leaving behind; this is the most complicated, because not leaving behind the

things is the primary reason why we cannot reconcile with the past,
the vision we have of him is a cruel reality that nobody wants to face.
It is forgetfulness that is under a capacity for destruction or persistence in the traces (this is how it
it is forgetfulness that remains as a reserve for memory and history;
Starting from it, people can have a way to rescue events.
relevant to the time and forget, thus, the useless moments. In the words of Ricoeur, the
forgetting provides a therapeutic sense in which the subject learns to cope with those
inhumane acts that at some point society came to commit and especially to
To forgive, in this way, it is more feasible not to carry the past, but to see it as a function.
practice and appreciation as something that continues to be and not as something that has already been.

Ricoeur's purpose here is to rework the past and represent it either in the
imagination or in writing.

Forgetfulness will always be an important resource for being able to express and/or talk about the

events of the past; it is this forgetfulness that helps, in a therapeutic way, the power
to face the pain that has been endured at the cost of an injustice, something that happens very often in Mexico

frequently: Femicide, injustices, and abuse of power by the authorities,

disappearances, clandestine graves, etc. It is from these events that the
sorry as "treatment under adverse conditions", but this may be impossible to
granting and it is when it is called 'The difficult forgiveness'.
Philosophy of history.
Essay 'Memory, History, Oblivion'.

Now, when we talk about forgiveness, we talk about a quality that implies a
exchange.

Forgiveness will be of vital importance, important to be able to somehow stop

to look at the past as a negative burden and, at the same time, to be able to narrate it and see it as something

what happened, but which has not died completely since this past was, at one time, present.
Forgiveness represents a great step for the person who suffered some injustice, it is evident that
it is not easy to obtain since there is a disproportionate patent; it is forgiveness that is
It is done through gestures, that is, one must find the presence of acts of profound or
genuine affection, love, and/or empathy (affection that may seem impossible from the
criminal), it is the criminal act that leaves a wound that is difficult to heal.

At the beginning of this topic, I mentioned that forgiveness implies an exchange, that is to say, it brings,

I achieve an unequal exchange (this due to the difficulty of forgiveness), in the same way,
Forgiveness is based on equality and reciprocity: both sides receive a reward.
personal when eliminating or, better said, removing the weight that the person carries.
suffered just like the one who has harmed; receiving forgiveness will allow a fresh start and,
above all, a calm memory is expected (tranquil memory), which implies being able to
to forgive y promise.
In this way, we can see that forgiveness is, so to speak,
paradoxical, as it is grounded in a dialectic of repentance. For Ricoeur, the
The importance of forgiveness lies in its effects, that is to say: And regarding our
The philosopher states that the importance of forgiveness lies in its effects: it generates a horizon.

common that would be expressed in a calm memory and would have in perspective, based on
the unequal yet reciprocal exchanges the possibility of a happy memory

It is important to mention everything that has already been said; forgiveness, forgetfulness, and memory are the

a basis for a historiographical line in which we can survive as a species; the narrative is
an important tool for historiographical events, but the recourse to
story becomes a trap when intimidation, seduction or fear take over
direction of the historical configuration.

Explaining how each concept works is of vital importance to provide an answer to

Our initial question; everything is important, nothing ceases to be so for Ricoeur.
Philosophy of history.
Essay 'Memory, History, Oblivion.'

History affects the temporality that marks a present, a past, and even a possible.
future; let us remember that Ricoeur believes that the past is not dead, but has been and
it is in the mind where it becomes transcendent: the past was present once, the
the present will be past and the future will be present. Thus, and in this way, is how life makes
his follow-up.

Ricoeur's critical point reveals a historiographical discourse, under a roundabout.

hermeneutic in which history is presented as a servant of life. It is the narrative
historian the main promoter of history, for his search for truth and under the
intention to want to be as close as possible to reality regarding the facts that
they happened.
Between memory and history, narration occupies a place of connection, in which we give
account of the passage within our present.

Now then, continuing with the temporality and answering our initial question,
It is worth mentioning that the historical fact is supported by the trace of all those.
things of the past that exist in memory and where the present is the way, here, they begin to
to manifest the questions and the files that have been collected by other people, from
In this way, it is clear that historical time is lived and universal time.
It is necessary to take the past into account, although not completely. Knowing how to manage, in a way

criticism, facing any inhumane fact. Our relationship with history, in terms
of memory is the amnesty that may occur at some point in our lives, in
a past that we have present; time causes great disorders within the cavity
mental for a future forgiveness, a denial or an organization of forgetfulness.

The limit for the historian, like for the filmmaker, the narrator, the judge, is elsewhere:
in the intransmissible part of an extreme experience." Let us remember that our life is
social, and we are doing as everyone else: subject to entropy, decay and
eventual death.
Philosophy of history.
Essay 'Memory, History, Forgetting'.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Memory, History, Forgetting
Philosophy of history.
Essay 'Memory, History, Forgetting'.