http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/health/research/06brain.html?_r=1&ref=health
"Suppose scientists could erase certain memories by tinkering with a single substance in the brain. Could make you forget a chronic fear, a traumatic loss, even a bad habit. "
I think this is extremely creepy. Cool, but creepy. The article discusses this amazing feat and then goes on to address some concerns which mirror my own. The article touches on the topic of possible public-wide use. What if this drug not only becomes approved for those who need it, but also those who want it? True, the drug would provide a safehaven for those who have suffered from traumatic experiences like rape in the past. But who'se to say what's "traumatic" and what's not?
Is a child losing his/her father to a car crash traumatic? Is the love of your life breaking up with you traumatic? Who'se to draw the line between people who need it to lead a normal, healthy life and those who want it to erase pain? Certain pain is good, afterall. It teaches us lessons; lessons which suck are we're learning them, but are good for us in the long run. I can see how this drug has the potential to do both great and horrible things.
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Sarah wrote about the same story in her blog, you should take a look at it. II think it is up to people to make their own decision of if it is worth it to completely forget things. Isn't who we are made up of all of these memories, experiences and relationships? To forget them would be to change all of that.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting and could clearly lead to some amazing solutions for mental problems people face. But as you said, how does one determine if a memory should or should not be erased. It would be great to get rid of all the bad memories you've ever had, but it is those memories that help form us as people. If this were to ever be used, I think that it should just be used for medical purposes, like alzheimers. Otherwise, it would become way too complicated.
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