Slow Memory Anthropocentric Method: For Argumentation, Resilience and Spiritual Flourishing

The concept of the Slow Memory Anthropocentric Method (SMAM) was inspired by the overly broad and varied understanding of slow memory among researchers. The method aims to engage people, especially those who have been historically, politically, and socially marginalized, in the spiritual development of nations. Placing people at the centre of memory research, the SMAM provides them and the researcher with a tool for argumentation, education, and spiritual development — a critical minimum set of four human values which can always be upheld and defended: a) love, b) freedom, c) truth, and d) justice. The paramount objective is to retrieve, revive, and consolidate a time-tested system of values and moral criteria derived from it, such as goodness, empathy, goodwill, sincerity, courage, mutual assistance, etc. The method’s four principles of operating and respondents’ manifestation are of utmost importance for the research process: a) freely expressed critical thinking, b) the voice of people to be heard, c) forming civic self-awareness, and d) encouraging civic participation. Both sets of values and principles constitute sustainable development goals. They strengthen the resilience and perseverance of critical thinking and stimulate good educational and social practices, personal flourishing, and public welfare. Received: 08 August 2025 / Accepted: 11 December 2025 / Published: January 2026