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Memory and Insanity
How much do we need to remember about our past to be considered sane? If we remembered too much, would that drive us crazy?
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Posted by veronica on 11/04 at 04:23 PM
In this ABC interview, a woman who remembers everything doesn't seem all that happy about it:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4813052&page=1
Posted by Glenn Willen on 11/04 at 04:36 PM
Honestly, I'm very excited about the possibility of technologically augmented memory, and I just don't envision it having the downsides called out in this article. There's no reason electronically-stored memories have to be constantly-present in the same way that biological ones are. I would love to be able to remember every detail of every day of my life, on demand; that doesn't mean I want it to pop up, unbidden, the way biological memories do.
The long and the short of it is, electronic memories would be a wonderful adjunct and complement to biological memory. I think it's a mistake, though, to assume they would have the same capabilities, and the same limitations, as biological memories. They will have exactly the functions we build them with.
Posted by Proto on 11/05 at 05:06 PM
In a perfect world, electronic memories will have exactly the functions we build them with; in the real world, they'll have the functions they end up with when translated through the medium of imperfect software and finite hardware.
I doubt being constantly bombarded by all of your memories will be one of the features our augmented memory system will end up with, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a flaw that reared its ugly head every once in awhile.
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