logoalt Hacker News

thrownthatwaytoday at 12:57 AM1 replyview on HN

Wait till you learn how human memory works.

Every time you recall a memory it is modified, every time you verbalise a memory it is modified even more so.

Eye-witness accounts are notoriously unreliable, people who witness the same events can have shockingly differing versions.

Memories are modified when new information, real or fabricated, is added.

It’s entirely possible to convince people to recall events that never occurred.

Which of your memories are you certain are of real occurrences, or memories of dreams?


Replies

dvttoday at 3:34 AM

You're making an argument Descartes formalized in the 1600s (and folks have been making long before him). It's a cute philosophical puzzle, but we assume that there's no Descartes' Demon fiddling with our thoughts and that we have a continuous and personal inner life that manifests itself, at least in part, through our conscious experience.

show 1 reply