MNEMOSYNE AND LEARNING

A Brief Reflection on Memory from Plato's Phaedrus and its relationship with Contemporary Times

Abstract

Memory is the human capacity to grasp the events of the past, so that they can be disseminated by men in subsequent centuries. In traditional societies, where writing did not yet exist, orality guaranteed the conservation of traditions. When analyzing traditional societies and referring to Ancient Greece, most of Greek culture was disseminated orally until the end of the 5th century BC, before the spread of writing. In Plato's Phaedrus, the philosopher, through a myth, raises the issue of the prominent danger of men entrusting their memory to external depositories. In the contemporary world, it is common for individuals to entrust their mnemosis to the internet and other devices - which leads to the weakening of their inner memory and their own identity. The purpose is to demonstrate, based on Plato's Phaedrus, the importance of recovering memory as an instrument for acquiring and transmitting knowledge, to then reflect on its consequences in modernity.