Memex of Memories

When the idea of swapping memories was first introduced in class on Thursday, I agreed with most of the class that this theory had problems but it is in interesting concept to think about. First of all I don't think that we will ever get to a point in time where we will be able to upload a true memory from one person to another. Memories are experiences interpreted by previous experiences, so unless a baby is born and is only uploaded with someone else's memories, people will still be able to think on their own and have their own interpretations of memories. I see this whole idea of sharing memories more as an opportunity for something bigger. Sure there are many problems with this idea, but I also think there are a lot of strengths that can be worked with.

First, I want to touch on the idea and definition of being human. Many people have talked about in their posts that swapping memories would take away from being human. But what is being human anyway? Is it experiencing life? Having complex emotions? being self aware? Maybe it is all these things and more. I also like to think that being human is a constantly evolving process of learning. Being human is having the ability to invent new ways of making our life more pleasurable and meaningful. So with the advent of this memory swapping device, will we be more human? Maybe, maybe not.

If we were able to share memories then what would stop us from sharing knowledge as well. Leslie talked about storing these memories in a way that they can easily be cataloged and retrieved. I think this is a great idea and it even reminds me of Vannevar Bush's Memex machine, except for memories.

What if we could plug into a system and upload an entire memory of an education. Lets say one wanted to be a lawyer (probably a good profession considering the implications this technology could have if it were ever feasible). You go into the database, and download 25 memories of a law degree, you download quite a few so the mind can cross reference facts, and there you have it, you are now a lawyer. You just saved years of school and instead got a better education in a couple of hours. This could all be very beneficial because now you have more time to experience the greater aspects of life. Man could have more knowledge of the world, they could have more fun, and have closer relationships with their loved ones because memories/knowledge are all on file. This would be great.

But again as many people have brought up, the negative aspects could pose a problem. People could become addicted to this knowledge and could spend an entire lifetime gaining new knowledge instead of taking the knowledge that they have acquired and applying it to the real world. Also who would control this database of memories, governments can be corrupt, and corporations could only be trying to make money off of memories. So who gets put in charge? All these questions must be answered before anyhtign like this could ever become reality.