The ‘End’ of Memory: Memory, the Porous Self, and the Communion of Saints in Augustine's Confessions
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: This article presents a brief, constructive, theological account of memory in response to contemporary questions regarding memory loss via Augustine's account of memory, which elucidates the remembering subject's openness and relatedness to God and the communion of saints. First, I examine Augustine's Confessions, showing how memory is embodied, affective, and cogitative, and that memory's end is in relation to God and the communion of saints. Afterwards, I consider the resonances between Augustine's account of memory and two threads of research in dementia studies—namely, the notion of the ‘embodied self’ and the concept of memory ‘extension’—in order to propose how such a reading of Augustine on memory might contribute towards theological accounts and responses to memory impairment or loss.
DOI: 10.1111/ijst.12680
Author: Abraham S‐C Wu
Institution: University of Cambridge
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,630
OpenAlex ID: W4386543921