Brains and Memory

Published December 8, 2016 · Updated July 6, 2022

Ford said during the finale episode that most of the hosts who gain consciousness go mad. This should come as no surprise, given what we know about the way the brain works with respect to memory. We have evolved an extremely subjective memory that is heavily influenced by what we have chosen as our personal narrative, and this is an important coping mechanism.

Study after study has confirmed that we remember things in a way that almost always confirms what we believe about ourselves and the world, and to do otherwise causes us pain. In some cases of particularly extreme events, we will even refuse to remember at all.

Now consider the brain of a host, which is created with an adult brain that has perfect recall. They haven’t had the years of childhood with which to acquire coping mechanisms, and their brain doesn’t massage their memory to make it easier to live with themselves and the world. Only an extraordinary individual could come out of that without serious psychological problems, and I hope they spend some time addressing that more in the next season.

– Brent S.

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