Katherine Puddifoot (Durham University): “Memory” for Justice

Abstract: Philosophers of memory have recent begun exploring the prospect that it may be legitimate to adopt different stances, to achieve different goals, when developing conceptions of memory (Craver 2020; McCarroll et al 2022). In this paper I argue for the importance of a stance that has yet to be considered: the social justice stance. I argue that theorists ought to aim to develop conceptions of memory that serve the purposes of social justice, and that it isn’t a given that existing approaches will achieve this goal, without the explicit aim of doing so. This involves a significant reconceptualisation of the goals of philosophy of memory, and the parameters of what should be taken to be remembering.

Katherine Puddifoot is an Associate Professor in Philosophy at Durham University. Katherine works on topics in social philosophy, philosophy of psychology, and feminist epistemology. Her recent research focuses on stereotyping, implicit bias, epistemic injustice and distorted memories.

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