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41

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Screw that, our memories are a huge part of what we are.

They are everything we are…but think of the applications of being able to erase fear.[/quote]

How would you erase fear?

Fear is an emotion, which I assume is different biochemically from a memory. Ok, so a lot of fears may be caused by memories, but surely not all of them?

If someone pulled a gun on me, I’d be shitting bricks. Not because I’ve been shot before and can associate the gun with the memory of having a bullet tear through my flesh, but because of the knowledge of what that gun can do and even if I haven’t experienced it, the assumption that it’s going to sting a bit.

Although I’ve never seen it, doesn’t Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind deal with this?

(Incidentally, if this did ever come to pass, I’d sign myself up for it)

43

[quote]Roual wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Screw that, our memories are a huge part of what we are.

They are everything we are…but think of the applications of being able to erase fear.

How would you erase fear?

Fear is an emotion, which I assume is different biochemically from a memory. Ok, so a lot of fears may be caused by memories, but surely not all of them?

If someone pulled a gun on me, I’d be shitting bricks. Not because I’ve been shot before and can associate the gun with the memory of having a bullet tear through my flesh, but because of the knowledge of what that gun can do and even if I haven’t experienced it, the assumption that it’s going to sting a bit.

Although I’ve never seen it, doesn’t Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind deal with this?

(Incidentally, if this did ever come to pass, I’d sign myself up for it)[/quote]

Several people in this thread have already explained that the scenario that initially caused the fear is what could potentially be erased, not all fear itself.

If some girl is raped and now fears intimate contact, erasing the memory of the rape would erase the fear.

44

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Roual wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Screw that, our memories are a huge part of what we are.

They are everything we are…but think of the applications of being able to erase fear.

How would you erase fear?

Fear is an emotion, which I assume is different biochemically from a memory. Ok, so a lot of fears may be caused by memories, but surely not all of them?

If someone pulled a gun on me, I’d be shitting bricks. Not because I’ve been shot before and can associate the gun with the memory of having a bullet tear through my flesh, but because of the knowledge of what that gun can do and even if I haven’t experienced it, the assumption that it’s going to sting a bit.

Although I’ve never seen it, doesn’t Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind deal with this?

(Incidentally, if this did ever come to pass, I’d sign myself up for it)

Several people in this thread have already explained that the scenario that initially caused the fear is what could potentially be erased, not all fear itself.

If some girl is raped and now fears intimate contact, erasing the memory of the rape would erase the fear.[/quote]

Something else occured to me after I wrote that post.

Say you erase fear in a rape victim. You then educate her that she has been raped and tell her how to prevent it happeneing again. Because she doesn’t have the memories of the experience, even though you have tried to educate her, the conviction to follow the advice is not as strong as she doesn’t have any way to relate it to her reality.

Think of people drink driving. You know it’s a bad idea, you’ve seen evidence of the repercussions, you may have driven past some accidents, but that doesn’t mean you won’t do it.

I’m not sure I’m explaining what I’m trying to explain very well. I see fear as a necessary evil, overcoming it can make someone into a stronger person.

I’m not saying that it shouldn’t ever be used. The woman who was kept captive and forced to have children for years (I feel really bad but I can’t recall exact details of it even though I know there were threads about it on here) would be a prime candidate. I can’t even begin to imagine what she must go through every minute of the day, but something like this could give her clean start at life.

45

You guys are going totally apocalyptic with this. People are not going to start running around with memory-erasing guns or something. Even if they were able to erase specific memories, there is no guarantee that the option would just be available to the masses for everyday use.

We use drugs in the hospital EVERY DAY that make it so patients do not remember the procedure they just underwent. The potential application of a drug like this could be something like this:

You get into a horribly violent car accident, bones sticking out, limbs severed, major trauma surgery needed. They could wipe out the memory of the surgery(which they already do medically using anesthetic agents) more effectively with something like this and much, much safer since those drugs are not without risks.

Of course we are LOOOONNNNNG way from making mice forget a maze and erasing specific memories.

46

[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
You guys are going totally apocalyptic with this. People are not going to start running around with memory-erasing guns or something. Even if they were able to erase specific memories, there is no guarantee that the option would just be available to the masses for everyday use.

We use drugs in the hospital EVERY DAY that make it so patients do not remember the procedure they just underwent. The potential application of a drug like this could be something like this:

You get into a horribly violent car accident, bones sticking out, limbs severed, major trauma surgery needed. They could wipe out the memory of the surgery(which they already do medically using anesthetic agents) more effectively with something like this and much, much safer since those drugs are not without risks.

Of course we are LOOOONNNNNG way from making mice forget a maze and erasing specific memories.[/quote]

Best. Post.

47

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Kruiser wrote:
Yeah but you could watch your favorite movies over and over…

Of course, the more fun application would be creating memories and injecting them into someone.
[/quote]

This is easy to do already. For many instances all you need to do is suggest that some event happened and people will be more likely to believe that it actually happened.

In one study they photoshopped people into a hot air balloon. Later, they asked people about the hot air balloon ride (that they NEVER actually took) and found that many people reported lots of details about this fictitious ride.

jnd

48

[quote]skaz05 wrote:
Christine wrote:
This sounds like an Arnold movie…

Total Recall anyone?

Come on Cohagen, you got what you wanted… GIVE DIS PEEPLE AYUH![/quote]

YOU BLEW MY COVER!

50

[quote]RebornTN wrote:

I wonder if there is anything people are not going to do in science. If there is going to be a point where scientists stop and say, this has a huge potential for corrupt use. We probably shouldn’t fuck with it.

Does anybody else think along these lines?[/quote]

all aboard the FUD train !

let me guess you also believe the LHC will destroy the world

those who are not intimately connected with a certain science field really shouldn’t try giving constructive advice of how it’s bad

51

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
jnd wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Kruiser wrote:
Yeah but you could watch your favorite movies over and over…

Of course, the more fun application would be creating memories and injecting them into someone.

This is easy to do already. For many instances all you need to do is suggest that some event happened and people will be more likely to believe that it actually happened.

In one study they photoshopped people into a hot air balloon. Later, they asked people about the hot air balloon ride (that they NEVER actually took) and found that many people reported lots of details about this fictitious ride.

jnd

There was a whole slew of child abuse cases, where the patient was never actually abused, but the therapist ‘pushed’ the idea of abuse so hard that the subjects began to create fictitious memories and accuse familly members of the abuse.

Caused a LOT of heartache.

BBB
[/quote]

Yep- and those cases along with a bunch of child care abuses cases lead memory researchers to examine how they could implant false memories in normal everyday people. Neat stuff.

jnd

52

I think memory extract and implants would be beneficial. Take the memories of a teacher relating to certain fields of study. Then implant them into the students. You would have exponential knowledge growth in those fields of study where implantation was successful.

Also you could extract memories from male porn stars and sell them. So us regular guys could have the experience of fucking the top pro’s.

Or the most fucked switch would be to take a raped victims experience and implant it into their rapist. Then wipe out the victims memory of the event. Then he would know what its like to be the victim with all the fear and terror inside. And have him live with the crime.

54

[quote]jnd wrote:
bushidobadboy wrote:
jnd wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Kruiser wrote:
Yeah but you could watch your favorite movies over and over…

Of course, the more fun application would be creating memories and injecting them into someone.

This is easy to do already. For many instances all you need to do is suggest that some event happened and people will be more likely to believe that it actually happened.

In one study they photoshopped people into a hot air balloon. Later, they asked people about the hot air balloon ride (that they NEVER actually took) and found that many people reported lots of details about this fictitious ride.

jnd

There was a whole slew of child abuse cases, where the patient was never actually abused, but the therapist ‘pushed’ the idea of abuse so hard that the subjects began to create fictitious memories and accuse familly members of the abuse.

Caused a LOT of heartache.

BBB

Yep- and those cases along with a bunch of child care abuses cases lead memory researchers to examine how they could implant false memories in normal everyday people. Neat stuff.

jnd[/quote]

By the way… THIS is exactly why we need real science. Things like these pop up allll the time (another example would be the Facilitated Communication scam that Autism parents wewre unfortunately taken on a ride for).

55

I had not read about the Facilitated Communication issue, but I did after your post. How ridiculous. I understand that Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey are able to “cure” autism.

The Mozart effect is another example of poor science.

jnd

56

OP I don’t know what you wrote, I’m still thinking about your avatar.

57

Think how much money could be saved during Christmas.

58

Unfortunately, our memories are not like files in a filing cabinet or on a computer. You have more than 1 memory of your first bicycle (you remember getting it, putting it together, learning to ride it, crashing it into your house after sawing the legs off your parents picnic table, etc.). Therefore, you could not erase its existence in memory.

jnd