The ontological status of the concept of forgetting in Henri Bergson, Martin Heidegger and Paul Ricoeur

In this study, the concepts of "forgetting", "remembering" and "memory", which have an important place in the history of philosophy, are examined, and inferences are made about the ontological place of forgetting. The concept of forgetting, examined in the light of the works of Henri Bergson, Martin Heidegger and Paul Ricoeur, is discussed not as an extinction but as being thrown into the passive area of memory. Henri Bergson's explanations through his philosophy of mind are important in understanding the relationship between the brain and memory. The claim that forgetting does not mean extinction can be supported on the basis of Bergson's philosophy. The inclusion of Martin Heidegger in the study means that the concept of Dasein, which he created, means understanding existence and forgetting oneself. Paul Ricoeur, the third author of the study, examined forgetting both neurologically and philosophically by examining forgetting through narrative. The form of forgetting in his works is conveyed on the theme of philosophical understanding from Aristotle to Saint Augustine. As a matter of fact, Ricoeur, who makes detailed explanations about today's contemporary philosophy, explains the images in memory and the memories they evoke by associating them with the brain. The aim of this study is to position forgetting ontologically and, following in the footsteps of the thinkers in question, to argue that forgetting is not a definitive extinction. Ultimately, the possibility that remembering can occur continuously indicates that any memory from the past can emerge at any time. So much so that information or memories that are thought to be forgotten can actively regain their place in memory by sensing any image that reminds them. Of course, throughout life there are many memories that do not coincide with the object of association; But this potential for coincidence itself is an indication that forgetting can be eliminated at any time by remembering.