Necessary Forgetting and Inescapable Memory
About This Novel
A central belief of our time is that in order to "cope" with the past, one must continually maintain the memory of it. Christian Meyer, one of Germany's most important historians, scours world history to understand what people once did when they sought reconciliation after a war or civil war. What he discovered was both astonishing and simple: Since the ancient Greeks, the world has relied on forgetfulness. However, Germany's crimes during the Nazi era cannot be forgotten. Their public remembrance is and is indispensable. This book reviews several reconciliations achieved through forgetting in human history. If humans cannot forget, they will not be able to reconcile with the past and enemies, and will fall into permanent chaos. If they choose to completely forget about inhuman atrocities, they may repeat the same mistakes again. This book reveals a long-neglected aspect of history from an angle that few people pay attention to.
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