at the national institute of health (nih). ethics as with most new technologies the idea of being able to erase memories comes with many ethical questions. one ethical question that arises is the idea that although there are some extremely painful memories that some people (for example ptsd patients) would like to be rid of, not all unpleasant memories are bad. the ability to soften or erase memories could have drastic effects on how society functions. the ability to remember unpleasant effects from one's past has a huge impact on the future actions they may take. remembering and learning from past mistakes is crucial in the emotional development of a person and helps to ensure they do not repeat previous errors. the ability to erase memory could also have a massive impact on the law. when it comes to determining the outcome of a trial, the ability to modify memory could have a massive impact on the judicial system. another ethical question that arises is to how the government will use this technology and what restrictions would need to be put in place. some worry that if soldiers can go into battle knowing that the memories created during that time period can simply be erased they may not uphold military morale and standards. many are also skeptical with who should be able to have procedures done on them, so they are urging for a set of laws to determine this. in fiction memory erasure has also been a common topic of interest in science fiction and other fiction. several notable comics, tv shows and movies feature mindwipes, including telefon, total recall, men in black, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, black mirror, the bourne identity, nbc's heroes and dollhouse. novels that feature memory erasure include the invincible by stanisław lem, some of the harry potter novels (including harry potter and the chamber of secrets) by j. k. rowling, and the giver by lois lowry. several works by philip k. dick are about mindwipes, including "paycheck", "we can remember it for you wholesale" (which served as the inspiration for total recall).