Memory without Emotions: Knowledge and Human Identity among Digital Archives, Artificial Clouds and Educational Posture

Abstract

The digital revolution has externalized and delegated cognitive and mnemonic functions, radically transforming the very concept of memory. Artificial intelligence does not remember in the human sense of the word: it stores, catalogues, and retrieves the past according to algorithmic logic, without the filter of emotion, subjective selection, and critical reflection. This form of impersonal, neutral, and potentially manipulable memory raises profound questions about the relationship between technology and identity. Compared to Augustine’s conception of memory, intended as the keeper of individuality and inner experiences, AI configures as a sterile archive, devoid of love and forgiveness, capable of remembering but not understanding. The consequences of this transformation have a profound impact on the educational experience.