Personal Identity and Memory Erasure

Memory erasure might be the ultimate human desire. Using propranolol (a non-se-lective beta blocker) which is prescribed to patients suffering from PTSD, Post Trau-matic Stress Disorder, seems to allow this desire to become reality. However, memory manipulation or memory erasure causes ethical questions. One of the serious ques-tions is the criterion for numerical personal identity. Fortunately, using propranolol does not disrupt numerical personal identity, because propranolol does not threaten psychological continuity, and only dampens the link between memory and emotion. On the other hand, new technologies, like U0126, ZIP and the elevation of transgenic αCaMKII can threaten personal identity, although they might also be able to help PTSD patients in the future. From an ethical point of view, we need to pay attention to such new technologies more carefully in order to see whether or not they threaten personal identity.