Academic

Kolber on Memory-Erasing Drugs & Freedom of Memory

By Lawrence Solum

Adam J. Kolber (University of San Diego School of Law) has posted Freedom of Memory Today (Neuroethics, Vol. 1, p. 145, 2008) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

Emerging technologies raise the possibility that we may be able to treat trauma victims by pharmaceutically dampening factual or emotional aspects of their memories. Such technologies raise a panoply of legal and ethical issues. While many of these issues remain off in the distance, some have already arisen.

In this brief commentary for the journal Neuroethics, I discuss a real-life case of memory erasure. The case reveals why the contours of our freedom of memory -- our limited bundle of rights to control our memories and be free of outside control -- already merit some attention.

Highly recommended--and even if this is outside your primary areas of interest, you will want to read the case described on the first two pages!

Full post as published by Legal Theory Blog on April 08, 2009 (boomark / email).