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The Metaphysics of Memory
It takes strength to remember, it takes another kind of strength to forget, it takes a hero to do both. People who remember court madness through pain, the pain of the perpetually recurring death of their innocence; people who forget court another kind of madness, the madness of the denial of pain and the hatred of innocence; and the world is mostly divided between madmen who remember and madmen who forget. Heroes are rare.
– James Baldwin
- Tony McKenna
- CounterPunch
There are certain modern myths which gain credence and currency because they are rendered in a ‘scientific’ tone and language.
One such myth is that of the photographic memory.
As the name suggests, this refers to a…