Memory, time and space in Augustine's Confessions, Book X

• Grant number: 24/23731-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - History of Philosophy
• Principal Investigator: Moacyr Ayres Novaes Filho
• Grantee: Victor Sousa Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In Augustine's time, it was common to associate memory with a container where things were stored, using spatial metaphors. The idea of linking memory specifically to time and duration, as we do today, owes much to the bishop's writings. Among Augustine's works, Confessions is particularly significant for the study of memory, a theme explored in books X and XI. Augustine employs two metaphors to describe it: in Book X, memory is presented through spatial metaphors and visual imagery, while in Book XI, despite the discussion on spatialized ideas about time, Augustine emphasizes the temporal aspect of memory, associating it with musical imagery.In Book X, Augustine conceives of his memory as a thesaurus, a place where things are deposited. This image of the thesaurus shapes the search for God, which also becomes spatialized: "But where are You in my memory, Lord, where are You in it?" This metaphor leads Augustine to a series of paradoxes, prompting him to reevaluate his understanding of memory in Book XI. The dynamics of memory seem to escape the logic of spatiality. Thus, there is a shift in the vocabulary related to memory between Books X and XI of the Confessions.We propose, therefore, to investigate the reasons for this transition. What leads Augustine to modify his conception of memory? Why do spatial images prove insufficient? Our initial approach involves exploring the confessor's deformed condition as a possible cause for the spatialization of memory. (AU)