Luísa Soares1’* & Inês Santos Silva2
1Department of Psychology, Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, 9000, Portugal and 2Group, 2256c.health, Lisboa, Portugal
Email of corresponding author: lsoares@staff.uma.pt
Abstract: This article investigates semantic memory as a core component of human cognition, integrating findings from cognitive psychology and neuroscience with debates in the philosophy of mind, language, and culture. Building on classical models of memory [1–4], it examines how knowledge is encoded, stored, and retrieved, and critically interrogates whether semantic memory functions as a static repository of representations or as a dynamic, reconstructive process of meaning-making. The discussion draws on philosophical perspectives—including Wittgenstein, Putnam, Dennett, Husserl, and Ricoeur—to show that semantic memory extends beyond the individual mind, shaping identity, guiding language use, and structuring shared social realities. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence, including studies of semantic dementia and hippocampal amnesia, is presented to illustrate the distributed, interactive, and socially mediated nature of semantic knowledge. Furthermore, the article addresses epistemological and ethical dimensions, highlighting how semantic memory mediates both personal understanding and culturally transmitted knowledge, and emphasizing its relevance as an interdisciplinary object of study. By bridging cognitive science, philosophy, and social theory, this work positions semantic memory as a dynamic, socially embedded, and culturally grounded system that underlies human thought, behavior, and collective meaning-making. Examines semantic memory as a central component of human cognition, integrating insights from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy of mind and language. It explores whether semantic memory functions as a static repository or a dynamic, reconstructive system of meaning-making. Drawing on neuropsychological evidence, including studies of semantic dementia and hippocampal amnesia, and philosophical perspectives from Wittgenstein, Putnam, Dennett, Husserl, and Ricoeur, the article highlights how semantic memory shapes identity, language, and shared social realities. Finally, it addresses epistemological and ethical implications, emphasizing semantic memory as a socially and culturally embedded system that bridges individual cognition with collective knowledge.
Keywords: Cognitive Psychology; Neuroscience; Memory; Philosophical; Human.