It might have some downsides, but let’s not forget about the daily torture and atrocities we experienced before the government started manipulating our memories.
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The growing science of memory manipulation
131–140 of 156 posts
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#132The mere possibility of tampering with memory is indeed the most dangerous thing that could happen to humanity. Imagine not being able to believe your own memory. In fact we don't have to imagine, I believe I've been subjected to "mass gaslighting" on multiple occasions recently on the internet : some piece of information I'm sure I saw on the internet suddenly completely disappears. Google + Facebook + "right to be…
In "Ghost in the Shell" there is a sub plot with a man who talks all day about his family until it is revealed to him that it is all false memories. I always found this one of the most horrifying scenes in the movie.
ST:TNG, season 5, episode 25, "The Inner Light" broadly could be described similarly, except whether it is horrifying or wonderful is hard to decide. One of the best TNG episodes.
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#133The mere possibility of tampering with memory is indeed the most dangerous thing that could happen to humanity. Imagine not being able to believe your own memory. In fact we don't have to imagine, I believe I've been subjected to "mass gaslighting" on multiple occasions recently on the internet : some piece of information I'm sure I saw on the internet suddenly completely disappears. Google + Facebook + "right to be…
The honest truth is that you shouldn't. People treat memory like a video recording. It is more like a play that is reenacted every time you remember it, where props are pulled out of storage but sometimes the wrong prop is pulled out and yet nothing feels wrong. For example, maybe you remember the day you lost your keys and found them between the pottery. What exactly did that pottery look like? Pull the pottery prop…
In Ted Chiang's latest short story collection "Exhalation" there is a story called "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling"[1] that kind of touches on what you are talking about. In the story, one of the characters is writing up a critique about a new technology that constantly records video from a persons perspective and the video can be recalled at will (like memory). In his critique, he uses a memory (traditional - not using this new technology) he has of a large argument him and his daughter had. This moment/memory was a crucial part in his life and really defined how he viewed himself and his relationship with his daughter. I won't go into it, but the reality of the event and how he remembers it is very similar to your point - specifically, that memory is more like an imperfect play, replay and biased by your recall.
I highly recommend the book, but that story in general. As with most of his stories, he takes a premise that seems generic on it's face and twists it in ways that you wouldn't expect.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truth_of_Fact,_the_Truth_o...
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#134This is a provocative experiment, both in terms of the results and certain elements of the employed experimental techniques. What I found particularly interesting is that it elicits a consideration of what is memory. Is the association of stimulus-response a 'memory'? (Where does that leave 'instinct'?) One could argue that the experiment has created an artificial 'instinct' and not 'memory' given that there was no '…
It is obvious and well known that phenomena happen in the outisde world, but experience happens in the brain - Perception, usually mediated through Sensing. But when I remember seeing a friend in a dream, that is a real memory of a real experience, but there was no phenomenon in the world outside my head that caused the experience. At the current level of understanding, it is pretty clear that if we could send the co…
> The next level of manipulation would be to induce signals into the brain as if they are coming from the visual processing area without directly stimulating the visual processing center at all - this is far further into the future, if it is even possible.
There's a new wave of interesting work regarding inducing patterns of activity in the cortex using spatially precise two-photon excitation methods (two-photon holography). This paper does a relatively good job in controlling for the behavior of the animals in the study and shows that recalling patterns of activity can reliably reproduce a learned behavior based on the pattern of activity (and also probes at some aspects of general computations in the cortex): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6711485/
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
3 is an awkward number of bowls so there definitely used to be 4. Dishware usually comes in multiples of 2
I’ve argued that point. We think we got them at a pottery tent at the state fair where they may have been in bulk and we just purchased three, but I don’t know why we would have bought an odd number.
I have fun from time to time attempting to reconcile divergent memories, so allow me to hypothesize one possible scenario:
There were only three available at the fair. You would normally only buy bowls in a set of four. However, as you mention, you really like this particular style. Perhaps you liked it so much that you made an exception in this case and bought the three because that was the maximum available. But then you lost the third, and so the memories you were triangulating from were "there are two in the cupboard," "that's not the full set," and "four is a full set."
Now onto your spouse's memory. They remembered two at first, because they were triangulating between "we normally buy four," "there are fewer than four of these," and "we always buy an even number." Confronted with the existence of a third, the other memory, "there are fewer than four" remains in effect.
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#136Interesting article but I was hoping for more discussion of the ethical implications mentioned in the title. As a society we frequently start with with consent as a cornerstone of whether something is ethical or not (if it's done to you against your will, it's bad). Then we decide whether there are certain lines you shouldn't cross because the result would be harmful for you or society. For instance, you can drink as…
It shouldn’t be allowed at all. If your memory is alterable, who’s to say you agreed to it in the first place. I know there are people out there that can benefit from this, but it’s too dangerous to exist.
Other forms of recording?
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#137It might have some downsides, but let’s not forget about the daily torture and atrocities we experienced before the government started manipulating our memories.
> government started
Why do you presume that governments are the only ones with an incentive to do so?
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#138The mere possibility of tampering with memory is indeed the most dangerous thing that could happen to humanity. Imagine not being able to believe your own memory. In fact we don't have to imagine, I believe I've been subjected to "mass gaslighting" on multiple occasions recently on the internet : some piece of information I'm sure I saw on the internet suddenly completely disappears. Google + Facebook + "right to be…
The honest truth is that you shouldn't. People treat memory like a video recording. It is more like a play that is reenacted every time you remember it, where props are pulled out of storage but sometimes the wrong prop is pulled out and yet nothing feels wrong. For example, maybe you remember the day you lost your keys and found them between the pottery. What exactly did that pottery look like? Pull the pottery prop…
"The honest truth is that you shouldn't. " (believe your own memory)
That does not seem like a good way to live.
Imagine "not trusting your memory" tomorrow morning, and refusing to recognize your bedroom, your spouse, your kids, family, your house, car, coworkers etc.
Seems like one would go insane, quickly. So yeah, I guess you do need to trust your memory - but judiciously.
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#139This seems less like an artificial memory and more like a real memory of an artificial experience.
What would the difference be?
An artificial memory would be if they directly altered the system for storage of memories (however that works), rather than spoofing inputs to that system.
Re: The growing science of memory manipulation
#140It might have some downsides, but let’s not forget about the daily torture and atrocities we experienced before the government started manipulating our memories.
> government started Why do you presume that governments are the only ones with an incentive to do so?
I think I’d remember if someone else altered my memories.