A Beautiful Mind

Another film that I thought of that deals with the issue of knowledge versus imagination is Michel Gondry's  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In the film, "a couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with." (Eternal Sunshine)

While some people develop elaborate diseases blurring, as Dr. Katherine Taylor calls it, “the line between realistic and melodramatic portraits" of life, others wish to simply eliminate this "line" separating the two worlds altogether.  As this film proves, however, imagination--here, the memory of their lover--proves to override knowledge--the fact of knowing their relationship has failed--and the procedure fails as their dreams of reality begin to take over.

Interestingly enough, research has been conducted that, in fact, this type of procedure could become reality: Eternal Sunshine Study.  Memories and/or elaborations of imagination could be completely erased when it comes to the things people wish to elimate from their minds, leaving only 'good' cases of imagination and memory.


Do you think it is safe for a procedure such as this to take place?  Should science take over to force knowledge to be more important that imagination, memory, and hope that a imaginings of yesterday could become realities of today?