Friday Musing

[albionmoonlight]

Picture something that you would enjoy doing but that is a somewhat unlikely occurance for you--a two week vacation to Europe. Attend the Super Bowl. Drive a monster truck. Sex with a supermodel. Whatever you would love to do. The event isn't really important.

I give you a choice. You can either actually do the event but have your memory of the event totally erased. Or you can not do the event, but have the memories of the event just as if it happened.

In both instances, you would be aware of the situation. If you do the event, you will know that you did the event (and can have pictures of it and the like), just have no actual memory of it. If you do not do the event, you will know intellectually that it did not happen, but your memories of it will feel just as real to you as if it did.

So, which do you choose?

[I. J. Reilly]

Sex with a supermodel. and can have pictures of it and the like

DEAL

[Logan]

An untrue memory of having sex with a supermodel? Sounds like everyday of my life. Give me option A for the material I'd then be able to work with.

This shouldn't even be a contest.

[Marc Vaughan]

I voted for fishing - if you did the event but didn't remember it then it might as well not have happened, if you remember it but know it didn't happen then you're aware it didn't happen - so might as well have been imagination/dream (and mine are pretty good anyway ;) ).

[britrock88]

Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory | Video on TED.com (http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_experience_vs_memory.html)

[Sun Tzu]

http://www.bullsandbeavers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Rainbow-Trout.jpg

[DaddyTorgo]

An untrue memory of having sex with a supermodel? Sounds like everyday of my life. Give me option A for the material I'd then be able to work with.

This shouldn't even be a contest.

Seriously.

[Ksyrup]

I'd rather just attend/do the event. If I know the memories are not real, then there's no difference between that and everyday life right now where, if I wanted to pretend I'd been somewhere and create memories of it, I could. Now, if somehow my brain could be tricked into believing I actually attended and the memories were real, that would be a much tougher choice.

[Lathum]

I want to just have the memory, it would be like guilt free cheating.

[Drake]

One of the top two options describes most of my life, but I can't figure out which one.

[Kodos]

Option 1, and it is an easy choice.

[Chief Rum]

Option 2--because having the memory in my head would show me how I did it, and then I would attempt to recreate that in real life. :D

[Ironhead]

Do the real thing. I may not remember it but I can sure as fuck be proud knowing that it actually happened.

[Rizon]

How do all of you know that your memories are even real?

[Logan]

Do the real thing. I may not remember it but I can sure as fuck be proud knowing that it actually happened.

Good point. I may not actually remember everything about that night I won 16 straight games of beer pong, but I am damn sure proud of it.

[cougarfreak]

I'd say most guys have done #2 on a slump buster occasion or five. So I'd go with option 1 or fantasy.

[Autumn]

well, I would pick winning $80 million dollars, that's something I don't expect to happen to me. And then I will pick option 1 ;-)

[Marc Vaughan]

Question - with regards to the answers ... does anyone else have knowledge of the event? (ie. you might not remember it but are the after effects real and do others remember - as this would obviously affect peoples decisions).

For instance Autumn might not recall winning $80m but if its in the bank account then its a damn good option to take ... similarly dueling a gladiator sounds 'fun' unless you actually wake up with that arm missing ;)

[sabotai]

If you do the event, you will know that you did the event (and can have pictures of it and the like), just have no actual memory of it.

My memory is so bad that everything I do eventually becomes this anyway (for the most part). I'd do the event and make sure I take tons of pictures/video.