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I view memory as a series of strands connected together in an illogical pattern.

The reason I believe this is I suffered from memory loss after brain surgery 10 years ago. I had emotional amnesia which meant that I could function quite normally in day to day activities, but when it came to emotions, memories of people I had been emotional about or even events, I could not remember them. I was blank.

A good example is the death of a member of the Royal family here in the UK. Everyone else seemed to know where they were at the time, the details of the death and even how they felt at the time. I didn't even know it had happened or who they were talking about. Yet at the same time I could hold a reasonable discussion about the Roman empire or the beginnings of the political system here in the UK.

This at the time led to a bizarre scenario where I could remember how to drive a car or use a computer, but I couldn't remember my son or my partner. Nor could I remember friends or other family. I couldn't read emotions on people's faces and this led to around 4 years of chaos.

My scans immediately after the surgery showed a huge hole in the centre of my brain where the tumour had been removed, but over time the scans showed the gap gradually filling back in with brain matter, occupying the space where the tumour once sat.

I experienced a rapid acceleration in learning for a period of around a year where I seemed to be like a sponge for knowledge, but then I started having what I thought were nightmares whilst I was awake, but they turned out to be partial memories. They didn't come back all at once, but in floods of disjointed memories that bore no relation to each other.

It is difficult to describe the emptiness I felt when I first came round from the operation, and even harder to explain what it was like not to recognise myself or indeed even know my own name, but as I say, if memory is a series of illogically connected strands it would certainly explain why clumps of memories have returned at the same time. A clear memory from the time was sitting in a garden chair, not thinking about anything. I heard what I considered a loudish noise and turned my head to see what I now know is a grasshopper. I focused on it and I could hear it really clearly. The rest of the world didn't matter and the noise of nearby traffic disappeared, as did any other noises you'd expect in an suburban area during the day. All I could hear or focus on was that grasshopper.

I think making an artificial brain would be difficult simply because so little is known about the organic brain. We may, as a species, understand more than we did in the past, but we are nowhere near understanding how it does what it does. Reproducing an artificial organ on this basis would seem impossible at the present time.

Yet at the same time I could hold a reasonable discussion about the Roman empire or the beginnings of the political system here in the UK.

This at the time led to a bizarre scenario where I could remember how to drive a car or use a computer, but I couldn't remember my son or my partner.

I think making an artificial brain would be difficult simply because so little is known about the organic brain.

One thing I regret is that I was asked to take part in a study of my condition at Liverpool University. I refused simply because I was having difficulty coping with day to day life at the time and I didn't want the added strain. The consultant who wanted me to take part explained that it was exactly what you've mentioned that they wanted to study. Why had I forgotten the emotional but kept what, for all intensive purposes, was the logical reasoning and factual information centre of my memory.

I may well look into it again now in the New Year and see if I can still take part in the study. If it helps just one person it would be worthwhile.

You're right, it was unnerving, but it had its benefits. Before my operation I was terrified of spiders. After, I can now pick up a spider without so much as a wince. My temper was shorter before, but I'm told that could have been the tumour applying pressure on certain parts of my brain.

I hope there are some advances in this area of study as nobody appeared to know what to do with me when I lost my memory. They tried to understand, but it was a lonely period of my life until I met a girl that helped me slowly to accept what had happened and explained that forgetfulness is natural as you get older. Perhaps some of the things I can't remember still is just due to my age and natural forgetfulness, but I tend to hyper focus.

Forgetfulness shouldn't prevent the creation of an artificial brain, but perhaps reasoning and emotion should.

Hey there Moe! How's it been for ya? I am totally not prepared to discuss all of this, seeing as how this is the first philosophical thread in the WEPR in FOREVA. So I'll just choose one lol

2) There's a further aspect: if part of human intelligence is the capacity for forgetfulness, how could we program this into a being that's supposed to have artificial intelligence? One way of putting this is to say that if the brain is nothing but chemicals, proteins, neurons, etc., then we could, in principle, make an artificial brain. But how can we account for forgetfulness?

This touches on one of the key features of forgetfulness: some pieces of information are more subject to being forgotten than others. Is there some way to account for this given a certain biological state? I suppose we could say something about where in the brain the relevant information is being stored, but why wouldn't all information in that area be subject to being forgotten?

The visual and tactile memory would have merits for the driving a car skill, but what about my memory of history? Where did that come from? It isn't visual or tactile, it is learned, much like you learn the emotional relationships that form who you are.

It's a tricky one. I've puzzled over it probably more than most because a period of my life was spent without the benefit of having a memory of my emotional life. I didn't know emotion and I was nicknamed Data by my friends simply because I couldn't work out what was happy or sad.

Memory is a mystery even now. It may seem like we've taken huge leaps in sciences, but we don't even understand the basics of the way the brain works. I'm living proof.

The visual and tactile memory would have merits for the driving a car skill, but what about my memory of history? Where did that come from? It isn't visual or tactile, it is learned, much like you learn the emotional relationships that form who you are.

Forgetfulness shouldn't prevent the creation of an artificial brain, but perhaps reasoning and emotion should.

The article about procrastination is interesting.
Also the Why so many minds think alike article made me think about how a person's brain gets more active when surrounded by other people rather than being alone all the time.
I guess you can drive someone insane by isolating him or her for a long period of time (cut from radio, TV, computer, Internet, reading material).

I remember how much I used to enjoy being in school and learning new stuff. The interaction with other people in a class environment is also important for the brain stimulation. Competition among students as well can have a good effect on the brain.

Ahh, goody goody my two expertise's cognitive psychology and A.I. it's like a Christmas present.

COMMENTS AND MISTAKES

But what about when it's not? That is, what about when we forget things?

The visual and tactile memory would have merits for the driving a car skill, but what about my memory of history? Where did that come from? It isn't visual or tactile, it is learned, much like you learn the emotional relationships that form who you are.

I view memory as a series of strands connected together in an illogical pattern.

Memory is a mystery even now. It may seem like we've taken huge leaps in sciences, but we don't even understand the basics of the way the brain works. I'm living proof.

Sometimes we remember traumatic events even when we were 3 yo so there must be something there like the pain (physical & emotional) caused by an accident must have some kind of priority for the brain.

Also think about all the info that our brain sends to the muscles and members, etc. If the brain does not function properly you might not be able to walk, speak, etc.

I remember when I was in school and I was working on something hard and I couldn't figure out the answer I would take a break, listen to music or ride my bike, etc., and later I would find the answer.
Why is that?

These memories are formed by neurons in packs. They are linked together. Aaaand...searching for said memory requires the firing of the neurons to locate it.

Learning a memory without constant firing will cause it to just be a short term memory

However, if you keep firing the neurons to keep retrieving the memory, it will become a priority. This long term memory will take a long time of not being used before it disappears. As for the disappearing part, I have completely forgotten. So I don't want to just guess and have the possibility of spewing BS.

2) There's a further aspect: if part of human intelligence is the capacity for forgetfulness, how could we program this into a being that's supposed to have artificial intelligence?

One way of putting this is to say that if the brain is nothing but chemicals, proteins, neurons, etc., then we could, in principle, make an artificial brain. But how can we account for forgetfulness?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network

Forgetfulness is the height of human cognitive error, and if one incorporated that into a computer, it probably wouldn't work.
The main reason computer exist is to make our lives easier and to remember things we couldn't remember, i.e entire books.
Maybe

Forgetfulness is the height of human cognitive error, and if one incorporated that into a computer, it probably wouldn't work.
The main reason computer exist is to make our lives easier and to remember things we couldn't remember,

Here is another link that might be of interest to this thread.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-capacity-of-short-term-memory.htm

Short-term memory is the first place that information is stored when it enters your brain, and it functions in a manner similar to a holding area. The capacity of short-term memory is between five and nine items, often referred to as "seven, plus or minus two." The items only remain there for about 30 seconds unless the person makes a conscious effort to retain them. The size of the pieces of information doesn't appear to make a difference, as each one could be as small as single letter, or as long as a whole phrase. If they are retained, the items are eventually transferred to long-term, or permanent, memory.

When information enters a person's brain, the first place it stops is the short-term memory, which has a very limited capacity. Only a few items can fit in short-term memory at a time, and they can't stay there for very long before they are either forgotten or stored in long-term memory. The generally accepted limit for the capacity of short-term memory is seven items on average. This number is based on the research of cognitive psychologist George A. Miller, who defined the capacity of short-term memory as seven items plus or minus two. He found that the majority of people could process about seven pieces of information at a time in short-term memory, with some people only able to handle five, and individuals at the upper levels retaining nine.

The limited capacity of short-term memory means that most people can only handle a small amount of information at one time. Without a conscious effort to remember, such as repetition of the information, the items will only be retained for about 30 seconds before they are forgotten. Each piece of information can be any size. For example, each digit of a phone number can be a separate item, or the whole phone number can be treated as a single chunk of information. Another example is that each piece of information could be a single letter of one word, the whole word could be treated as an item, or even an entire phrase.

One way to handle more information at one time is to organize it into chunks, such as remembering a phrase or a whole phone number. This can effectively increase the limits imposed by the capacity of short-term memory, helping a person fit a lot more information into that part of the brain because each item is bigger. New items tend to push out older ones, but if the person practices the information with repetition it can be retained instead of forgotten. Items that are retained and learned in this manner usually are transferred to long-term memory for permanent storage.

"seven, plus or minus two." The items only remain there for about 30 seconds unless the person makes a conscious effort to retain them

permanent, memory.

New items tend to push out older ones, but if the person practices the information with repetition it can be retained instead of forgotten.

Actual newer research shows it's smaller sadly, like 4 plus minus 2 I think. Conscious effort is repetition and if you are not allowed to repeat the information does not consolidate.