Dr. Jānis Krēsliņš
From time immemorial, ways of knowing have been inextricably bound with various forms of forgetfulness. Forgetfulness has served as a sign that the brain is working properly. Memory institutions, in turn, have been laboratories in which memory and forgetfulness have acquired meaning and saliency. Every technical paradigm shift has set in motion new paths to knowledge.
In wake of the digital revolution, however, this dyad seems to have added a third component, inattentiveness. As a result, the search of knowledge has shifted its focus towards replicating materials. Are memory institutions in danger of losing their innate ability to produce knowledge that builds on invention, the power of talk and the collective effort of many?