Memory and morals in memento: Hume at the movies
| Abstract | In the hopes of directing students to the great philosophic texts through the entertainment fare they consume, this article analyzes the philosophic significance of Memento, a 2000 film directed by Christopher Nolan. We understand the film as a thought experiment in which memory capacity is partially removed from the main character, Leonard Shelby. The experiment is run with Leonard's thoughts and behavior according with Hume's epistemology and cognitive psychology. As a result, Memento ends up illustrating Hume's positions on personal identity, the character of justice, and the intellectual limitations of the human mind. | |||||||||
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Similar books and articlesDavid Hume (1777/2004). An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals. Prometheus Books.
Francis Snare (1991). Morals, Motivation, and Convention: Hume's Influential Doctrines. Cambridge University Press.
John Sutton (2009). The Feel of the World: Exograms, Habits, and the Confusion of Types of Memory. In Andrew Kania (ed.), Philosophers on *Memento*. Routledge.
Jeffrey K. McDonough (2002). Hume's Account of Memory. British Journal for the History of Philosophy 10 (1):71 – 87.
Basil Smith (2006). John Locke, Personal Identity and Memento. In Mark T. Conard (ed.), The Philosophy of Neo-Noir. University of Kentucky Press.
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