CONTRIBUTI / 16 / Francesca De Simone
Memory, Narration, and History in Günther Anders
This article suggests that in Anders’ philosophy there is an underlying ambiguity between two senses of history: in some occasions the author refers to history as chronological passage of time, in other instances he uses the same term (Geschichte) to indicate the interpretative category of that time flow. This creates possible misunderstandings on the claim of the end of history. I show that Anders’ originality lies in identifying the cause of the end of history as end of times with a loss of historicity. The aim of this work is to bring out a third sense of history – as narration – which can mediate the two other senses. In this dynamic, memory is a means of resistance against the danger of losing historical consciousness. Therefore, through the storytelling of individual memories we can restore a collective historical horizon. This investigation takes advantage of Anders’ novel Die Molussische Katakombe and of his diaries
