the possiblities would certainly be endless, in the right hands. i heard they are working on this project to "download" Stephen Hawking's brain before he dies

i don't know that babies being imprinted with all the memories would be a good idea some of us have memories of some pretty horrible things

The singularity is a long way off if it is even possible. I'm not sure if it's even a good idea. One of the problems is that our brain, in a very literal sense, is who we are with all of its quirks and defects affecting how and what we think. The singularity concept seems to rest on the idea that the mind is somehow detachable from the physical brain but there really doesn't seem to be any evidence that supports that.

If we assume for a second that it is possible, there are still obstacles to be overcome. Let's use your example of trying to raise children that aren't racist and bigoted. If you raise two children in the same environment now, you can still get two totally different results. The reason is, they are physically unique and separate people. Even in the case of identical twins, they are not physically identical due to gene mutations and embryology. If you are able somehow to imprint memories or knowledge in their brains there's no assurance different children would use that information in the same way. What seems more valuable than just giving children information is teaching them critical thinking and how to evaluate what information is true and valuable and what is not.

Going the other way, if you can take a brain and put it on a computer, which part becomes the person, the software or the hardware? Can you install multiple copies of the same person on different hardware and get different results? Can you install more than one person on the same hardware? If hardware fails and it's not backed up would that be considered death or murder if it was intentional? The differences in how we think now are a direct result of the physicality of our brains, but if our brain software can run on the same hardware as other brains would we think in the same way?

One of the valuable things our brain does is prioritize which information is important to remember and what can be forgotten. In a computer brain capable of relatively unlimited storage what decides which information to keep and which to ignore? Keeping it all would tax both the storage system and the processors and make for some slow functioning digital people.

Who gets to make the decision on what is important? Would it not be the computer designer? Our designer was evolution and we are the product of a vicious and uncaring process of trial and error in which countless millions have died to get it "right". Who takes responsibility for getting it wrong with digital people?

What makes us human and worth our salt on this earth is learning from our own mistakes and making discoveries without the help of some loaded memories. What we do have is instinct and that's all I think we need. having said that fuck yeah load me up in a giant mecha robot and let my fly into a dying star.

Well I do have issues relinquishing my individuality, what makes me unique and distinct from everyone else. As a former soldier I have seen Man's inhumanity to Man, however I do believe firmly that through our humanity, our empathy, and shared existence on this planet together we can overcome the obstacles of hate. I don't know if a collective memory will do it, there will always be people who are just broken, people who don't have empathy for their fellow man and should those memories and feelings be shared with the rest of us who's to say that those feelings wouldn't remain dominant?
Lots of questions, lots of problems. I'm not sure science can fix them all, at least not in our lifetime.

"I've just heard about an advance in science where we may soon be able to essentially download our memories onto a computer. "

too late! I've already forgotten everything!

Resistance is futile.




Just sayin'.

i think it would be used more for wrong then good. could make someone accept beliefs without making the decision themselves.

It scares me that the people who would pick which memories are implanted are the same people who run Medicare.

I like the idea of it but the implementation scares the hell out of me.

I think you will run into problems with the way memories are constructed when they are recalled / created. It varies per person and it's heavily influenced by how they are recalled. You can ask someone to remember a certain detail from a past event in various way by using different word and sentences. And each time you will get a different response.

Another problem is capacity, it is currently impossible to determine what the limit of the human brain memory capacity is. Some memories take up one neuron, another take up a dozen. What happens when a brain is full? Nature provided us with a brain with enough capacity suited for our lifespan. What are the physical and psychological consequences when you start to 'imprint' young infants with massive amounts of memories?

Simply put, I do not think that memory download/upload like in various sci films is even possible. Not in those ways anyways. But then again, what are memories? What is a conciousness? Philosophers have been trying to figure that one out since the dawn of civilization . Is imprinting useful at a young age? I doubt it. I don't remember much of that time myself, memories formed or imprinted become obsolete and forgotten. Which makes imprinting useless. But I could be suffering from old age

Consider this:

Who determines "greater good"?
What is already wrong with our educational system that can not impart societies knowledge?
Would the "imprint" be overwhelming to the point of stunting personality?
Would we become a creature of habit? Which we see is already a unimpressive trend.
Is computer science the best path toward enlightenment?
Can science even be used as a metric for enlightenment?


Most importantly, being born with a blank slate.
Individuality, the empowered individual, is the force creating change as we as a specie and collective continue to explore this thing called life.


As a scientist myself, lol.... I do believe in the beauty of the mind.
I see it everyday.
Yet, I have also seen quite the opposite.
Consider genetic modification done hastily for profit and applied haphazardly.
After all we are talking about the brains of children.... not minds.

Yes, I too want an end to all the yucky things and I think the struggle itself is beautiful.
We have to be vigilant to create a world we want.
Good intentions often create unintended consequences.

Keep up the good fight!