Montreal researcher works on memory editing
BBC has an interesting piece on Montreal researcher Dr Alain Brunet who’s working on a technique for reducing the psychological impact of painful experiences or memories. I don’t know whether there’s also a philosophical inquiry into the implications. Some people might benefit from removing or softening memories of a traumatic incident, but when it comes to romance, often we learn from surmounting the bad experiences.
Tee Owe 16:29 on 2020-02-17 Permalink
Not sure I get why romance should feature more than other experience – trauma is trauma, learning is learning, no?
Kate 16:47 on 2020-02-17 Permalink
I haven’t taped this out completely, but supposing someone is present for a random violent event. They’re in a bar when someone gets shot, say, or they witness a car crash. Nothing to do with them, but traumatic. That’s one thing, and there’s not much to be learned by it. On the other hand, you get into a relationship by choice, the relationship progresses to some extent, but you do things that offend each other, or the relationship falls apart for other subtler reasons, external pressures, incompatibility of intentions, fault lines in your mutual understanding. Painful, but you have learned something about people, about yourself, about the pitfalls of romance.
Tee Owe 16:54 on 2020-02-17 Permalink
So, can we choose which romantic experiences to delete – the ones we learned nothing from? Can get complicated – I’m on the side of retaining everything, on the off-chance that we might one day learn from it
Blork 16:59 on 2020-02-17 Permalink
You guys know you’re rehashing “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” right? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/
Kate 17:03 on 2020-02-17 Permalink
The movie’s mentioned in the article, Blork. I haven’t seen it.
Tee Owe: I think my painful experiences are part of “me” and although not fun at the time, would I be me now if I had been able to edit them as I went along? I don’t think so.
But then I can say this as someone not prone to depression. I’ve seen two people I knew moderately well die of broken hearts, and I feel I’m lucky not to be so disposed.
Tee Owe 17:07 on 2020-02-17 Permalink
We are the sum of our experience – it’s not always easy. Some do better than others – sorry to hear of your friends. No more from me on this.
Kevin 13:37 on 2020-02-18 Permalink
@Kate
Damn. That’s an oversight. Eternal Sunshine is one of the best movies of this century.
Kate 12:16 on 2020-02-19 Permalink
I know what it is. I can’t stand Jim Carrey so I didn’t see the movie. I’m sure he’s talented, etc. etc., but there are some performers whose faces I just cringe away from watching and he is one of them.