THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS
BERLIN
MEMORY
1 PATRONUS
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns a spell to ward off Dementors.
“Dementors are among the foulest creatures to walk this earth. They feed on every good feeling, every happy memory until a person is left with nothing but his worst experiences.” (Rowling, 1999)
But dementors affect people differently. Professor Lupin explains to Harry:
“The dementors affect you more than others because there are true horrors in your past, horrors your classmates can scarcely imagine. You are not weak Harry.” (Rowling, 1999)
Professor Lupin tells Harry that he can defend himself from Dementors by using the Patronus spell.
To cast a Patronus, you must summon to mind a very happy memory, imagine it vividly, and then use the enchantment “Expecto Patronum”.
If the memory that you call to mind isn’t happy enough, or if you don’t imagine it vividly enough, the spell won’t work.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
What could dementors and patronuses be metaphors for?
Why do you think the author focusses on memories in this dynamic?
If you were to conjure a patronus, which good memory would you choose?
Can we use memory like this? Bringing to mind good memories to ward off bad ones? Should we?
SOURCE:
Rowling, JK. 1999, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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2 MEMENTOS
Hal has a shelf in his flat where he keeps mementos.
The oldest of memento is a pair of shoes that he had aged 6. They are special because he can remember learning to tie his laces on them.
Every time Hall takes out the shoes, he experiences a flood of images and feelings from the day he first tied his shoes.
the crunch of a gravel path
lilacs on either side of the path
the pink bouncy ball that he was carrying with him…the way dust stuck to it
He enjoys reliving the memories associated with each memento.
Hal’s mother visits. He shows her the shoes and tells her the images they evoke.
She says:
“Oh I remember that day! But that bouncy ball was blue, I remember it well, you had it for about 8 months and then lost it. But they can’t have been lilacs because we were visiting Viv and she has roses in her garden, not lilacs.”
A few weeks later, Hal reads an article about memory.
“Scientists say that each time you activate a memory you rewrite it.”
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
Is Hal’s memory real?
Is his mother’s?
Can we trust our memories if they are rewritten each time we access them?
Can both Hal and his mother be right?
Hal sees a photo from that day. The bouncy ball was blue… with this new photographic information, how should he feel about his memory?
SOURCE: BA, THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS Group Member
3 DELETE FILES
CHAPTER 1
There is a queue outside the clinic.
The sign on the door reads “Move on, for good!”
You ask someone what they’re queuing for:
It's the new memory erase procedure. Haven’t you heard about it? It’s been all over the news!
You ask what it is and they explain:
Neuroscientists have worked out how to delete memories in your brain. They find the neuronal centres related to particular people/things, and zap them. Obviously everyone wants to forget their ex. Imagine just not remembering all that heartbreak! Not even remembering the person. You could walk right past them and it wouldn’t bother you at all!
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
How do you feel about this procedure?
What do you think most people will use it for? Do you agree with the person queueing?
Imagine it is tried and tested and that it works 100% of the time - would you go for it? What would you choose to forget?
How would forgetting certain key memories/people change your life?
How would it change you?
There are 2 more CHAPTERS to this thought experiment. They will be revealed and discussed at TEiP DEEP on the 26th March. If you’d like to join us, you can sign up here.
SOURCE: BA, THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS Group Member
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