

How to Erase a Memory - ca98am79
http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-erase-memory?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=bec4044f34-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email

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a-priori
Not quite. What this does is reduce the strength of the fear response
associated with the memory. So, after administering this to a person, they
would still remember the traumatic event, but they would tell you that it
wasn't so bad after all.

Therapeutically that's the important part since it will help the person get on
with their lives. That's why this discovery could potentially be revolutionary
for recovery from PTSD, rape, and even phobia. But it's not the same as
'erasing' the memory, and arguably would be better for therapy.

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Nessuss
The hypothesis though, is to remove the emotional part of the memory, which
this does seem to be doing a reasonable job of doing it.

Much better than bilateral lesions to the Amygdala!

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alttab
There are too many movies and works of science fiction that explore this
landscape to convince me this is good.

To erase our memories, our fear, and our pain is to erase what makes us human.
Yes, there are terrible things that happen to people that we want to be able
to help. This is our humanity.

But where do we draw the line? What happens when this technology falls into
the wrong hands? I don't like it.

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pavel_lishin
I was actually just thinking of a movie plot. A serial killer tortures his
victims, then erases their memory of the experience. From their point of view,
they came home, then woke up in bed missing their legs, or covered in
horrendous scars, or something.

But so far, that's all it is. Any new scientific breakthrough is terrifying. I
think I'm more scared of biological research than I am of this.

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jamesbressi
One has to wonder the consequences of use. The pros most-likely outweigh the
cons for someone literally debilitated by a traumatic event.

But, "fear" was part of our evolution and survival as a species and actually
serves positive results as well.

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pavel_lishin
Sure, but evolution isn't exactly perfect. Pain serves a purpose, too, but
what good does pain do someone who's in the final stages of dying of an
aggressive cancer? Similarly, PTSD evokes emotions unnecessarily. Being afraid
of bears because it slashed your leg is good. Jumping when a door slams
because too many explosives went off nearby doesn't do you any good.

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rbarooah
It might be safer if the fear could be 'erased' without erasing the memory
itself. Or even better - if it were possible to reduce the overgeneralization
of fear associated with the memory to present non-threatening situations.

Removing memories themselves seems like a dangerous way to deal with fear, and
an easily misused technology. Think governments protecting secrets etc.

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a-priori
_It might be safer if the fear could be 'erased' without erasing the memory
itself._

See my other comment. That is what's going on.

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tlholaday
Does this work on the game?

