Should We Erase Bad Memories?
Topics: Health, Science, Tech
Debate Date: August 18, 2023
This debate was recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Festival at The Hotel Jerome’s ballroom on June 27, 2023.
In the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kate Winslet’s character undergoes a procedure to erase her bad memories of her ex-boyfriend. But what if we could do the same in real life? Neurotechnology techniques, such as decoded neurofeedback, open the possibilities of influencing the brain’s neural activity to modify or erase memories that aren’t pleasant or beneficial to our well-being.
Those who argue in favor say it could help offer a path to psychological well-being and emotional healing from traumatic and painful memories that lead to anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Those forgotten painful, unwanted memories would give rise to a mentally healthier and happier life. Those who argue against it cite ethical and biological issues, since it interferes with the body’s natural process, and say that tampering with memories could be dangerous to our sense of self and undermine the authenticity of our lived experiences, especially since it is often the bad memories or experiences that shape iconic leaders to drive social change, artists to create, and inspire the underdog to be the MVP.
With this background, we take on the question: Should We Erase Bad Memories?
ARGUING YES:
Nita Farahany: Author of “The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology”, Professor at Duke University, and the Founding Director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
ARGUING NO:
Sigal Samuel: Senior Reporter for Vox Future Perfect and co-host of the Future Perfect podcast
MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:
John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist