How about a scenario where they gave you something equivalent to a USB port, and the option to plug in an external, trivially removable module that gave you more conscious control over your emotional state but didn’t otherwise affect your emotions? That still involves brain surgery (to install the port), but it doesn’t really seem to be in the same category as current brain surgery at all.
Hmmm. That might work. However, the ability to conceptualize one way to achieve the necessary effect doesn’t guarantee that it’s ever going to be technically feasible. I can conceptualize various means of faster-than-light travel, too; it isn’t obliged to be physically possible.
I suspect I have a more complete and reality-connected model of how such a system might work than you have of ftl. :)
I’m basically positing a combination of more advanced biofeedback and non-pleasure-center-based wireheading, for the module: You plug it in, and it starts showing you readings for various systems, like biofeedback does, so that you can pinpoint what’s causing the problem on a physical level. Actually using the device would stimulate relevant brain-regions, or possibly regulate more body-based components of emotion like heart- and breathing-rate and muscle tension (via the brain regions that normally do that), or both.
I’m also assuming that there would be considerable protection against accidentally stimulating either the pleasure center or the wanting center, to preclude abuse, if they even make those regions stimulateable in the first place.
Of course I know how FTL works! It involves hyperspace! One gets there via hyperdrive! Then one can get from place to place hyper-fast! It’s all very hyper!
*ahem*
You have a point. But my more emotionally satisfying solution seems to be fairly promising. I’ll turn this over in my head more and it may serve as a fallback.
How about a scenario where they gave you something equivalent to a USB port, and the option to plug in an external, trivially removable module that gave you more conscious control over your emotional state but didn’t otherwise affect your emotions? That still involves brain surgery (to install the port), but it doesn’t really seem to be in the same category as current brain surgery at all.
Hmmm. That might work. However, the ability to conceptualize one way to achieve the necessary effect doesn’t guarantee that it’s ever going to be technically feasible. I can conceptualize various means of faster-than-light travel, too; it isn’t obliged to be physically possible.
I suspect I have a more complete and reality-connected model of how such a system might work than you have of ftl. :)
I’m basically positing a combination of more advanced biofeedback and non-pleasure-center-based wireheading, for the module: You plug it in, and it starts showing you readings for various systems, like biofeedback does, so that you can pinpoint what’s causing the problem on a physical level. Actually using the device would stimulate relevant brain-regions, or possibly regulate more body-based components of emotion like heart- and breathing-rate and muscle tension (via the brain regions that normally do that), or both.
I’m also assuming that there would be considerable protection against accidentally stimulating either the pleasure center or the wanting center, to preclude abuse, if they even make those regions stimulateable in the first place.
Of course I know how FTL works! It involves hyperspace! One gets there via hyperdrive! Then one can get from place to place hyper-fast! It’s all very hyper!
*ahem*
You have a point. But my more emotionally satisfying solution seems to be fairly promising. I’ll turn this over in my head more and it may serve as a fallback.