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Forgetfulness: Making the Modern Culture of Amnesia
Forgetfulness is a book about modern culture and its profound rejection of the past. It traces the emergence in recent history of the idea that what is important in human life and work is what will happen in the future.
Francis O'Gorman shows how forgetting has been embraced as a requirement for modern existence and how our education, as well as life with fast-moving technology, further disconnects us from our pasts. But he also examines the cultural narratives that urge us to resist our collective amnesia. O'Gorman argues that such narratives, in rich but oblique ways, indicate our guilt about modernity's great unmooring from history.
Forgetfulness asks what the absence of history does to our sense of purpose, as well as what belonging both to time and place might mean in cultures without a memory. It is written in praise of the best achievement and deeds of the past, but is also an expression of profound anxiety about what forgetting them is doing to us.
Francis O'Gorman shows how forgetting has been embraced as a requirement for modern existence and how our education, as well as life with fast-moving technology, further disconnects us from our pasts. But he also examines the cultural narratives that urge us to resist our collective amnesia. O'Gorman argues that such narratives, in rich but oblique ways, indicate our guilt about modernity's great unmooring from history.
Forgetfulness asks what the absence of history does to our sense of purpose, as well as what belonging both to time and place might mean in cultures without a memory. It is written in praise of the best achievement and deeds of the past, but is also an expression of profound anxiety about what forgetting them is doing to us.
200 pages, Hardcover
Published October 5, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 5, 2017
This is an interesting book about various aspects of not remembering, or ignoring the past, with both literary and historical references which made me think about the various kinds of people and how they respond to life. It's conversational in tone and the author ranges across various topics, with a focus on literature.
In some respects the "forgetfulness" O'Gorman writes about is what he sees as a lack of connection, even interest in connecting, with what happened in the past, whether a location, a culture (he essentially starts with a visit to Mycenae), as well as a notion of self-help or self-improvement : the continuous drive for innovation, doing things better, for whatever reason (sometimes none), whereby the future is what matters, not self-understanding, for instance. The "personal development plan" is delightfully skewered in that context.
There's some excellent explanations of particular words, and a swift demolition of poststructuralism and the notion that everything is text, but no author it seems, and the contradictions that follow.
I think and write in an area where it seems that all too often an opinion about what someone has said or written can be more valid than the intent or perspective of that person, which can remain investigated for all sorts of reasons. This applies to some who operate within the area and those who criticise from without. This doesn't mean that such people should be literal mouthpieces of the past idea, but it would be useful to provide an understanding and then the reasons for departure or elaboration of the idea or statement. Obviously this is my preferred method.
O'Gorman doesn't say anything directly about the issue I've just raised, but he did make me think about it. His book should ideally be read in a sitting, which I didn't do, reading it in bits and pieces over a few weeks, for several reasons, and so unfortunately missing some continuity. This means i should read it again in the near future, but there are stacks of unread books everywhere, so we'll see how it goes.
In some respects the "forgetfulness" O'Gorman writes about is what he sees as a lack of connection, even interest in connecting, with what happened in the past, whether a location, a culture (he essentially starts with a visit to Mycenae), as well as a notion of self-help or self-improvement : the continuous drive for innovation, doing things better, for whatever reason (sometimes none), whereby the future is what matters, not self-understanding, for instance. The "personal development plan" is delightfully skewered in that context.
There's some excellent explanations of particular words, and a swift demolition of poststructuralism and the notion that everything is text, but no author it seems, and the contradictions that follow.
I think and write in an area where it seems that all too often an opinion about what someone has said or written can be more valid than the intent or perspective of that person, which can remain investigated for all sorts of reasons. This applies to some who operate within the area and those who criticise from without. This doesn't mean that such people should be literal mouthpieces of the past idea, but it would be useful to provide an understanding and then the reasons for departure or elaboration of the idea or statement. Obviously this is my preferred method.
O'Gorman doesn't say anything directly about the issue I've just raised, but he did make me think about it. His book should ideally be read in a sitting, which I didn't do, reading it in bits and pieces over a few weeks, for several reasons, and so unfortunately missing some continuity. This means i should read it again in the near future, but there are stacks of unread books everywhere, so we'll see how it goes.
December 17, 2021
It's a perfectly solid and incisive examination of humanity & memory. It also comes in a concise package, which I always appreciate. However, it's written in the style of an overly-verbose university thesis...and if I was marking it as such, I'd give it full marks. However, I was hoping for a more enjoyable, provocative read...rather than something in the style of what I myself have written and edited throughout my own career as both student and teacher. Fabulous content, but I was hoping for a bit more flow in the prose style.
October 7, 2017
This is an interesting book about the human behavior and memory. Worth the read!
*Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
*Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
February 10, 2020
Reflections on "Forgetfulness," a 2017 book by Francis O'Gorman. Read it to expand your thinking.
First, the author's descriptions of his work, with the reader's critique.
Author: Page 5 - "Forgetfulness concerns the disappearance of pasts ... a phenomenon, which commences in earnest in the nineteenth century ... the almost completely successful attempt by modernity ... to focus human minds on the future, ... downgrade history and render care about it a weakness ..."
Reader: The bold goal for "Forgetfulness" to document this 'phenomenon' is quite well supported. The broad use of varied references that shaped the thoughts of the author is admirable. The detailed reference list in the book's back matter is impressive.
Author: Page 16 - "This is a book in defense of active analytical remembering; ... taking the trouble to think about achievement rather than simply about promise."
Author: Page 5 - It is "... in praise of valuing, or minimally in simply remembering better, what consequence history has bequeathed to us, of deeds and things."
Reader: These proclamations are not achieved as well as the author might feel they are. The book could more be described as a lament for lack of remembering.
Author: Page 12 - "The subject [of the book] is what the loss of histories might mean for a contemporary understanding of cultural identity ... and the challenge of fundamentalism and nationalism."
Reader: This claim is catchy marketing, but found to be minimally addressed in the text. O'Gorman does give the reader an ability to understand that the chasm between nationalist thinking and modern liberal thought is difficult to bridge.
Themes:
Long ago, the past was powerful, anchoring culture. History and legend taught the ways of the good life. Gods built, framed, and affected the present world. Mindfulness of the gods was paramount. The Ancient Greeks and Romans maintained a "memory culture" that is no longer evident today.
The author does not explain how modern society could shift to a greater historical focus, but seems to hold some fascination that the wonders of nature can form the path. Environmentalism brings some promise:
"... A significant strand of modern nature writing [contains] a gently counter-cultural assertion of continuities. It has provided a literary practice that modestly returns the body and mind to a relationship with pasts ..." (page 155)
In "Forgetfulness," the writer acceptably explains why history is less a focus today, with key forces pushing away the past being Modernization (the major topic of the book) and Christianity (offered, but not dwelled upon). He acknowledges that few have the propensity of time and material to forge their own deep connection with history.
Interesting observations on Literature:
Author: Literature has changed in modern times. Poetry and allusion, once dominant, compelled the reader to think in order to learn. Today narration is the dominant literary format. Fictional narrators lay it all on the page.
Reader: Non-fictional material provides explanations for all things, though it may not be truly factual. Today's popularity and fascination with SciFi and Fantasy works seems to have extended the "telling" rather than "thinking" side, and moved ever further away from the past.
Conclusion of the Reader:
The broad use of varied references that shaped the thoughts of the author is admirable. The detailed reference list in the book's back matter is impressive. Partake of Francis O'Gorman's "Forgetfulness" to expand your thinking.
First, the author's descriptions of his work, with the reader's critique.
Author: Page 5 - "Forgetfulness concerns the disappearance of pasts ... a phenomenon, which commences in earnest in the nineteenth century ... the almost completely successful attempt by modernity ... to focus human minds on the future, ... downgrade history and render care about it a weakness ..."
Reader: The bold goal for "Forgetfulness" to document this 'phenomenon' is quite well supported. The broad use of varied references that shaped the thoughts of the author is admirable. The detailed reference list in the book's back matter is impressive.
Author: Page 16 - "This is a book in defense of active analytical remembering; ... taking the trouble to think about achievement rather than simply about promise."
Author: Page 5 - It is "... in praise of valuing, or minimally in simply remembering better, what consequence history has bequeathed to us, of deeds and things."
Reader: These proclamations are not achieved as well as the author might feel they are. The book could more be described as a lament for lack of remembering.
Author: Page 12 - "The subject [of the book] is what the loss of histories might mean for a contemporary understanding of cultural identity ... and the challenge of fundamentalism and nationalism."
Reader: This claim is catchy marketing, but found to be minimally addressed in the text. O'Gorman does give the reader an ability to understand that the chasm between nationalist thinking and modern liberal thought is difficult to bridge.
Themes:
Long ago, the past was powerful, anchoring culture. History and legend taught the ways of the good life. Gods built, framed, and affected the present world. Mindfulness of the gods was paramount. The Ancient Greeks and Romans maintained a "memory culture" that is no longer evident today.
The author does not explain how modern society could shift to a greater historical focus, but seems to hold some fascination that the wonders of nature can form the path. Environmentalism brings some promise:
"... A significant strand of modern nature writing [contains] a gently counter-cultural assertion of continuities. It has provided a literary practice that modestly returns the body and mind to a relationship with pasts ..." (page 155)
In "Forgetfulness," the writer acceptably explains why history is less a focus today, with key forces pushing away the past being Modernization (the major topic of the book) and Christianity (offered, but not dwelled upon). He acknowledges that few have the propensity of time and material to forge their own deep connection with history.
Interesting observations on Literature:
Author: Literature has changed in modern times. Poetry and allusion, once dominant, compelled the reader to think in order to learn. Today narration is the dominant literary format. Fictional narrators lay it all on the page.
Reader: Non-fictional material provides explanations for all things, though it may not be truly factual. Today's popularity and fascination with SciFi and Fantasy works seems to have extended the "telling" rather than "thinking" side, and moved ever further away from the past.
Conclusion of the Reader:
The broad use of varied references that shaped the thoughts of the author is admirable. The detailed reference list in the book's back matter is impressive. Partake of Francis O'Gorman's "Forgetfulness" to expand your thinking.
November 10, 2019
The racist genocide of World War II was so horrible that it encouraged progressive people in the West after the war to do everything the opposite of Hitler. So, if he used history to stoke nationalism that would exclude minorities of every type, then we would do the opposite. We would excoriate bad history to reject nationalism and embrace cultural diversity -- what later, at the end of the 1950s, came to be known as multiculturalism.
And so, right-thinking people have brought us to the point today where much of our history must be rejected as a crime against oppressed peoples or at best, an embarrassment. Statues must come down. Heroes must be taken off pedestals. And perhaps even the idea of heroes or the building of pedestals must be rejected as relics of a dark age unfit for today's culture that would correct the wrongs of the past to promote social justice.
Thus, modern people enter an age of forgetting. And once we lose the history of what makes our place different than other places, then we lose our connection to place. No wonder people move around so much these days.
At the same time, corporate marketers have been turning every city worldwide into an outdoor mall for chain retail. Meaningful differences among places, from Shanghai to Chennai to Barcelona to Tallahassee increasingly fade as you can find a McDonald's in every city and town.
"Anyone who visits a modern city is likely to comprehend that replication is the new visitor experience; that urban centers are exchangeable to a point, consistent in their un-strangeness," O' Gorman writes.
Oddly, then, progressive ideology of the badness of the (Western) past merges conveniently with a capitalist push to open up new markets for look-alike products and services.
O'Gorman argues that we should and can fight such forgetfulness. He offers nature writers as a way to reclaim humans' connection to landscape and place. But he also argues that we should not be so quick to throw our political history out the window.
Preserving the stories of our societies does not necessarily lead down the garden path to racist nationalism, ethnic oppression and genocide. Instead, a mature celebration of the achievements of the past can help root people back into place. And retaining a shared story can help reverse the political polarization that has infected the democracies of Europe and America and led to the rise of neo-Nazis and other extremists.
Perhaps ironically, the best way for liberal societies to avoid fascism today may be to better remember the people and achievements of yesterday and, while recognizing that all cultures deserve respect, to better celebrate the things that unite us.
And so, right-thinking people have brought us to the point today where much of our history must be rejected as a crime against oppressed peoples or at best, an embarrassment. Statues must come down. Heroes must be taken off pedestals. And perhaps even the idea of heroes or the building of pedestals must be rejected as relics of a dark age unfit for today's culture that would correct the wrongs of the past to promote social justice.
Thus, modern people enter an age of forgetting. And once we lose the history of what makes our place different than other places, then we lose our connection to place. No wonder people move around so much these days.
At the same time, corporate marketers have been turning every city worldwide into an outdoor mall for chain retail. Meaningful differences among places, from Shanghai to Chennai to Barcelona to Tallahassee increasingly fade as you can find a McDonald's in every city and town.
"Anyone who visits a modern city is likely to comprehend that replication is the new visitor experience; that urban centers are exchangeable to a point, consistent in their un-strangeness," O' Gorman writes.
Oddly, then, progressive ideology of the badness of the (Western) past merges conveniently with a capitalist push to open up new markets for look-alike products and services.
O'Gorman argues that we should and can fight such forgetfulness. He offers nature writers as a way to reclaim humans' connection to landscape and place. But he also argues that we should not be so quick to throw our political history out the window.
Preserving the stories of our societies does not necessarily lead down the garden path to racist nationalism, ethnic oppression and genocide. Instead, a mature celebration of the achievements of the past can help root people back into place. And retaining a shared story can help reverse the political polarization that has infected the democracies of Europe and America and led to the rise of neo-Nazis and other extremists.
Perhaps ironically, the best way for liberal societies to avoid fascism today may be to better remember the people and achievements of yesterday and, while recognizing that all cultures deserve respect, to better celebrate the things that unite us.
June 10, 2019
After finishing this, I am left with a lot to think about, although I wasn't particularly satisfied with the book or the writing itself. O'Gorman spent the majority the book trying to prove his conception of the modern Western relationship with time (e.g. always looking to the future, disdaining and forgetting the past and present), but I agreed with him within the first two pages, so it was a little tiresome to keep reading about it. A few chapters read like an annotated bibliography of other books. The author introduced a lot of discrete ideas (some of them slightly bizarre, like connecting the Western cultural conception of time to our conception of Alzheimer's and other diseases) but didn't always connect them to other ideas or follow through with their implications.
I would have liked to see: more thorough follow-through on O'Gorman's assertions (e.g. on his connection between Western cultural identity and immigration); real examples of strong local histories and how losing or keeping them has affected the present; suggestions for what relearning history could/should look like (he frequently mentions the forgotten "great deeds of the past" but doesn't give many examples of them), literally any mention of race and its connection to local, national or global histories*; and comparison of Western cultural relationships with time to that of other modern cultures (not just ancient Western ones). I suppose I could think through or find these things myself, but it's not nearly as helpful to the broader conversation.
*(It seems probable to me that white Western culture prefers to forget our past of colonialism and slavery because then we can believe our material wealth stems from our claimed ideology and not hundreds of years of oppression, which he doesn't talk about AT ALL and instead focuses entirely on industrialism and the Enlightenment)
What will stick with me: discussion of how standards-based education and rigid political correctness have impacted (read: decreased) cultural views of the importance of history; the concept that the disintegration of Western culture's collective memory will make increasing global migration much more difficult to navigate; the description of Socratic methods of discussion and how it might affect the depth of our historical conversations and how we (Westerners) view the importance of history; and his description of the relationship between industrialism and our view of time, making me wonder how changing our view of time might have economic and structural effects
I would have liked to see: more thorough follow-through on O'Gorman's assertions (e.g. on his connection between Western cultural identity and immigration); real examples of strong local histories and how losing or keeping them has affected the present; suggestions for what relearning history could/should look like (he frequently mentions the forgotten "great deeds of the past" but doesn't give many examples of them), literally any mention of race and its connection to local, national or global histories*; and comparison of Western cultural relationships with time to that of other modern cultures (not just ancient Western ones). I suppose I could think through or find these things myself, but it's not nearly as helpful to the broader conversation.
*(It seems probable to me that white Western culture prefers to forget our past of colonialism and slavery because then we can believe our material wealth stems from our claimed ideology and not hundreds of years of oppression, which he doesn't talk about AT ALL and instead focuses entirely on industrialism and the Enlightenment)
What will stick with me: discussion of how standards-based education and rigid political correctness have impacted (read: decreased) cultural views of the importance of history; the concept that the disintegration of Western culture's collective memory will make increasing global migration much more difficult to navigate; the description of Socratic methods of discussion and how it might affect the depth of our historical conversations and how we (Westerners) view the importance of history; and his description of the relationship between industrialism and our view of time, making me wonder how changing our view of time might have economic and structural effects
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews