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This is also evidenced by the fact that when Joel’s memories are being removed he begins to resist the process. This suggests that certainly at least a large part of one’s identity resides in their memories. So having had their memories removed, they seem to regress to the people they were before meeting – finding each other attractive and beginning a relationship. Well, from the beginning of the film we see them going about their daily lives… until they meet each other (believing they are strangers) and have an incredible spark. How does the procedure affect their identity? Joel in turn discovers what she has done and undertakes the same procedure for Clementine. In an impulsive moment of anger after an argument Clementine decides to have this procedure undertaken so that Joel is erased from her memory. Clementine discovers a surgery where people can have all their memories of certain people (or in some cases, animals) erased from their memory, so it is as if that person never existed for them – they become a stranger. Joel and Clementine have a turbulent relationship. So if memory is the criteria of our identity, what happens when memories are lost? This is the premise examined in Eternal Sunshine: the idea of the perfect happiness (“Eternal Sunshine”) of a mind without negative memories: a “Spotless Mind”. So we know Buffy in season 7 is the same person as Buffy in season 2 because in season 7 she remembers (and references) events that occurred in season 2 (which I won’t reference so I don’t spoil it for those of you who are yet to watch it). Philosopher John Locke argued that what makes us the same person today as the person we were yesterday is that we have memories of being that person yesterday. I will then briefly examine some of the ethics involved in the events of the film, finally concluding that if such technology existed it would be permissible for it to be used in extreme psychological cases. This post will thereby investigate whether or not we are still able to discover our true path or destiny when having lost memories of key moments in our past by examining the events of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and contrasting them to philosopher John Locke’s idea of identity. The film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind delves eagerly into uncovering the mystery of just how our memory makes up our identity in such a way.
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As evident from many amnesia and Alzheimer’s patients, without our memories we can lose awareness of our surroundings and even our own feelings to some extent. It’s how we identify where and who we are.
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What influence do our memories have upon who we are and our identities?įor most people, memories make up a large part of who we are.