Abstract

The article analyses the relation between two metaphors of memory: project and repository. These ancient metaphors in early modern philosophy describe memory as the origin of such a duration which is the foundation of autonomy of contemplating being. That description gives the opportunity to answer the questions: what is the necessity of memory, what is memorabilia, and what it means to remember “by heart”. The concept of duration, which is central for Bergson’s philosophy, has its roots in early modern thinking and is strongly connected with a special kind of memory machine: machine without movement.