DESMA 9 Extra Credit Event 4

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 Extra Credit Event 4


Joel Barish getting the memories of Clementine erased in the film


    The film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” raises several philosophical and neuroscientific questions. I will focus on philosophy, as I have already done an event blog that looked at medical accuracy. I will admit that I am doing this blog almost a month after seeing the film, so I jogged my memory and rewatched it. This movie is about a couple who erases their memories of the other person to forget about the hurt the relationship caused them.


Memory Erasure


    Should memories be erased? What are the pros and cons of this invention?

A memory eraser could be good for treating trauma related problems that cannot be helped by the usual methods. However, your brain naturally does that with repression. For example, a huge indicator of childhood trauma is that someone doesn’t remember their childhood, or are missing chunks of memory associated with a certain time. If a memory is too painful, the brain will often block the memory from resurfacing. It may do other things if repression doesn’t work, such as develop multiple personalities to protect the original person. So, maybe if repression doesn’t work, and the doctor cannot help the patient in other ways, the patient might benefit from this selective memory eraser. The main issue with a memory eraser is unfortunately present due to the worse side of human nature. Think about how a manipulative person or group of people might use selective memory erasure. Imagine an abuser or a molester having the ability to constantly erase their victim’s memory and repeat their offences with no consequences. Imagine a government using this technology on their citizens. Memory can already be manipulated. You can implant memories into someone, or change how someone remembers a situation, as famous psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, among many others, tested. It’s unreliable, but it’s all we have. What kind of society do we turn into if selective memory erasure becomes prevalent? There is already so much corruption and evil that I have trouble imagining an outcome that is good. Have I lost my faith in humanity? Perhaps, but after seeing a world saturated with injustice, can you blame me?


Friedrich Nietzsche


    If given an opportunity to restart something, without retaining the information learned from mistakes, would we just do the same thing again? Nietzsche posed a similar question. The decisions you would make now, would you make them again forever if you had access to the same information? This is the basis of the theory of eternal recurrence. If you never learn from your mistakes, what stops you from making the same ones over and over forever? So, if we erase memory, we erase the lessons learned. If you are in a relationship, like in the movie, and you erase your memory of it and meet the person again, would it be a massive waste of time? Would you go through the exact same thing twice, or would it work out the next time? 





References:


Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Directed by Michel Gondry, performances by Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson, Focus Features, 2004

Cherry, Kendra. “How Does Misinformation Influence Our Memories of Events?” Verywell Mind, 4 Oct. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-misinformation-effect-2795353. 

“Human Memories : The Unreliability Of Human Memory.” Bartleby, www.bartleby.com/essay/Human-Memories-The-Unreliability-Of-Human-Memory-FCSJECANV6R. 

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). “Understanding the Impact of Trauma.” Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/. 

“Repressed Memories: Causes, Mechanisms, & Coping Strategies.” Mental Health Daily, 16 June 2015, mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/06/15/repressed-memories-causes-mechanisms-coping-strategies/. 

Tim. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Analysis.” Philosophy & Philosophers, 28 Mar. 2013, www.the-philosophy.com/eternal-sunshine-spotless-mind-analysis. 

Blank Mind. https://media.istockphoto.com/vectors/male-cartoon-character-with-a-blank-thought-bubble-vector-id464531956?k=6&m=464531956&s=612x612&w=0&h=bYYBvw8Dn1kUF-11gQFmUzkgU_IeSHcFpPjc4d9rOuQ= Image.


Memory Machine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/53/98/825398bd22d7b76fe77a852aba6e8ad9.jpg Image.


Friedrich Nietzsche Portrait. https://www.investors.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/LSpentPIC-Friedrich-Nietzsche-newscom.jpg Image.

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