The Ethics Of Collective Memory

Why does a community have reasons to remember its past? Why is memory related to morality? In this paper,I will try to answer these questions.First,the paper argues that collective memory can be shaped.This is the premise to discuss the responsibility of collective memory.Any community needs to maintain its collective identity.The collective identity involves the replacement of the polity.This raises the thorny question: does the community which political systems changed need to be responsible for its past? The paper argues that any polity in reality is rooted in the past and cannot entirely evade the past.Therefore,the collective still has to bear the moral requirements for its past responsibility.Collective identity is closely related to collective memory.Therefore,how the community remembers is related to how it shapes its identity,and then affects how it acts.One way to be responsible for the past is to assume responsibility for collective memory.However,when a community shapes its memory,it often falls into the extremes of excess and deficiency.I will use the shaping of post-war memory between China and Japan as an example to illustrate the consequences of this deviation.Finally,I will propose the ethics of memory,that is,how the community correctly remembers.I think a basic requirement is to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the memory.In addition,responsibly telling the past is a necessary ethical requirement for any community.This responsibility is both a respect for the past and an urgent need for the future.Only after meeting these two requirements can we expect better results: the victims forgive the perpetrators based on their sincere apologies or remorse,and the two communities resolve the historical hatred with sincere reconciliation and win the hope of peace.