Memory, Internal and External

[Figal-sensei]

Consider the critical distinction between internal and external memory. We are all quite familiar with the term “external memory” from computer technology. According to 2501, his existence is the result of how computers “made it possible to externalize memory.” Consider the role human memory plays in the construction of our reality, as well as our own identity – do you see it possible to be “human” without any “memory,” and conversely, can “memory” exist independently of an individual to store it, i.e. to “remember”? In that context, can you clarify how “memory” is different from “information”? Or, argue for their similarities?

For example, we all know computers can easily have either “internal” or “external” memory. But can humans similarly have “external” as well as “internal” memory ? In what ways can you argue this is already the case – how do we “externalize” our memory? Or is being limited to only an “internal” memory a basic limit of our consciousness – of the kind the Major mentioned on the boat? Try to identify and analyze instances in the movie in which “memory” and “data” interact, and then classify these interactions as either “internal” or “external” events.

[nealc1]

It may not be accurate to suggest that without memory one would lose his humanity. Perhaps any one of the innumerable qualities that most would agree constitute a “human” could be absent from a being who could still identify as human. Our sense of vision is integral to the collective human experience, yet the blind are still human. I pass from moment to moment in a kind of transient existence, and whether I retain memory of the previous moment or not may not qualify or disqualify my identity as human. Yet memory is certainly considered integral to the human experience because, like vision, it is an ability shared by the majority of mankind. If we consider external memory to mean record outside the physical body, then human beings have been storing external data for millennia. Humanity has invented a host of media through which to store and distribute ideas, from verbal language to the written word to video and audio capture. In the case of audio and video, we can often produce external “memory” that exceeds the accuracy of our own “internal” memory, which is riddled with flaws innate to the human experience. Yet, in some respect, this makes our external data bank quite unlike “real” memories, which come packaged with the richness of subjectivity that defines our experiences.

[Brandon Kim]

There are several points in the film when Kusanagi makes a connection between memory and identity.
“The memories of childhood… making me what I am.”
Along with all the other things she considers, Kusanagi believes her past is important in determining who she is in the present. In the elevator scene, she considers that her identity is created by the context of her surroundings. The ability to take in information from the environment, to store the data one perceives as a memory is what creates an individual. By interpreting what others think of us, we create our identity. As Batou said, society treats Kusanagi as human despite her cyborg body; consequently, Kusanagi has thought of herself as human until the Puppet Master incident.

As seen in other characters, memory is very important to the disinction of identity. The garbage man had false memories implanted into him. Based on his “memories” he believed himself to be a family man, even though he never had one to begin with.

The man with the thermoptical cloak had no ghost, as remarked by Batou. In the film, a ghost is considered to be self awareness, something like a human soul. This man, who had no ghost, is determined like so because he doesn’t have memories of his past or of his identity. The implicit message of this scene is that memories are what make a person who he/she is.

[Kevin Hu]

Memory to human beings is not merely a collection of past events. Instead, memory IS people’s past, and includes numerous subsets of emotions, experiences and skills. In this context, memory fundamentally differs from information for it functions as a means of integration and expression of subjectivity that is unique to human beings. Information can be seen as the set of dispersed data which may or may not connect to each other, yet memory, more than the set of data, is more pertinent to the connection between information and experiences. For example, if I lose my memory of my primary school life, I not only lose the actual stories that I’ve experienced, but also lose the skills, or ways of behaving that I learned during my primary school career. Thus, memory means a connection to multiple factors, instead of an island of information and data. On the other hand, memory intrinsically is attached by subjectivity derived from human experiences. When people memorize events in their mind, they automatically incorporate subjective understanding of events into the actual facts, adding personal comments on objectivity of incidences. On the contrary, information is the honest record of what has happened devoid of personal perspectives and influences.

[niahcharles]

I think this movie raises an interesting question, which is “to what extent do our memories define who we are?” I think humans like to believe that our “internal” memory–our past experiences, encounters, and thoughts–define our current actions, behaviors, and identity. And it makes sense; our memories are created from all of our experiences in life, our encounters with people, all of those things. We develop skills and shape our personality around these memories–regardless of how “true” they really are. As seen with the garbage truck driver, even “false” memories may determine a person’s present actions and behaviors, because memories are what we perceive to know. We gather information from our memories and move forward in life. We act in accordance with what we believe is “right” or “good”, something that is determined by what we’ve been through in life, what we’ve seen and experienced.

[Author]

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