memory alteration

[afro-elf]

Do you think that it should be allowed let someone wipe their memory of things they want to forget?

Would such as practice limited empathy or make us forget the past atrocities?

[Andúril]

Originally posted by afro-elf
Do you think that it should be allowed let someone wipe their memory of things they want to forget?

Yes.

[Andúril]

Originally posted by Andúril
Yes.

Hang on, it's not that simple. What if someone wanted to forget having seen a crime occur? That person's memory could play a great part in the conviction of a criminal.

So should someone have the ability to override someone else's voluntary memory swipe?

I know! I know! Perhaps the memories could be stored off site, i.e. out of one's brain. That way, the authorities could have access to memories, and the person in question wouldn't have to deal with them.

But then, what if the authorities found other things in said person's memory, things said person did not want the authorities to find? Hmmmm.

Nice topic AE.

[Linaewen]

Originally posted by Andúril

I know! I know! Perhaps the memories could be stored off site, i.e. out of one's brain. That way, the authorities could have access to memories, and the person in question wouldn't have to deal with them.

So then there would have to be criteria for permission to memory-wipe, wouldn't there? Or else everyone might want to wipe their memory of something, however trivial it might be, and then the authorities would have to keep records of all of it, lest it be important in the future!

But then, what if the authorities found other things in said person's memory, things said person did not want the authorities to find? Hmmmm.

Well then, how do you target a specific memory/set of memories? What if some memories are dependent on others, they get screwed up too?

[IronParrot]

Do you think that it should be allowed let someone wipe their memory of things they want to forget?

Absolutely not. This would throw all legal accountability (in the criminal sense and otherwise) straight out the window.

[afro-elf]

Well then, how do you target a specific memory/set of memories? What if some memories are dependent on others, they get screwed up too?

I wasn't aimimg at the technical aspects of the operation just the moral/ethics of doing so.

Nice topic AE.

Gracias.

[Lizra]

It (selective memory loss and memory alteration) happens naturally anyway It takes a little more time though.
I think it could be a useful tool for some people. I'm imagining it would cost quite a bit of money to do, so it wouldn't be something you would do lightly, or on a whim. If something was so painful or detrimental to your life that you would want to erase it, go ahead. The tricky part would be would you still remember what you had learned from the experience.
I don't know, this just seems like it could be a good thing. Some people are held hostage all their lives by certain memories. If the technology is there to use, it may as well be of some benefit to someone. Just becuase a painful "personal" memory has been erased for a person (example...being molested as a child) the incident can still be documented and or remembered by others. The person involved just wouldn't have to "relive " the pain on a daily basis.

[brownjenkins]

i agree with lizra that selective memory, and perception of what goes on in the world is a fact of life that we all experience (some more than others )

that said, i wouldn't be too keen on memory-wipes of a more proactive kind... i think the evils and misfortunes of life shape us just as much, if not more so, than the good things... if all these things were wiped out "to save the person personal pain", we might find that we wouldn't like or recognize the person that resulted

[Twista]

Originally posted by afro-elf
Do you think that it should be allowed let someone wipe their memory of things they want to forget?

So it is acually possible? How is it done?

[afro-elf]

Originally posted by Twista
So it is acually possible? How is it done?

There was something on msn within the last 48hours but I could not find the link.

I don't think its possible yet, but it seems to be on the horizon.

[Nerdanel]

If someone would wipe out parts of their memory, it'd probably be those with very bad memories. But we often learn a lot from everything that happens to us, so I think it'd mess everything up really badly if we started erasing certain memories. As Lizra and BJ already said, this happens naturally, if it needs to.

I think it's very dangerous to start touching and changing things that we know so little about, like we do with memory and how the brain works.

[Twista]

Originally posted by afro-elf
There was something on msn within the last 48hours but I could not find the link.

I don't think its possible yet, but it seems to be on the horizon.

So nothing can acually be done at the moment? What about the 'swinging the clock infront of the eyes' method? lol

[BeardofPants]

I don't think so, no. for me anyway. I'd rather remember the memories, and learn from then, and if it hurt that much, avoid doing it again like buggery.