From acing exams to impressing socially, memory is often seen as the cornerstone of success. Yet could forgetting be even more vital to who we are and how we think? We retain only a minute fraction of the sensory information we encounter, and some argue that what we choose to disregard shapes us more profoundly than what we remember. As Nietzsche wrote, “it is possible to live with almost no memories, but without forgetting it is impossible to live at all.” Real-life cases of people unable to forget support this view, as do the experiences of those haunted by memories they cannot escape.

Is forgetting an essential part of being human? Should we focus less on how to remember, and more on how to let go? And should psychotherapy, following Freud, aim to recover hidden memories — or might true wellbeing lie in learning to forget?

Join us for a groundbreaking live debate, interview & solo talk with leading thinkers as they explore the paradoxical power of forgetting. This exclusive event invites you to question the role of memory in shaping our identities, challenge long-held assumptions about the mind, and discover whether the art of forgetting could be key to a healthier self and society.