Perceptual Imagination and Perceptual Memory

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the philosophical questions about perceptual imagination and perceptual memory discussed in this volume. There are two central questions. The first is: How do perceptual imagination and memory resemble and differ from each other and from other kinds of sensory experience? These experiences seem alike in their apparent presentation of external objects or events, their perspectival nature, and their connection to one (or more) of the sense modalities. Yet, they are different with respect to their sense of immediacy: arguably, only when we perceive objects, do they seem to be present directly before us in our environment. The second question is: What role does each play in perception and in the acquisition of knowledge? Imagination, memory, and perception are typically taken to play different motivational and justificatory roles. This introductory discussion also outlines the structure of the volume and the contribution of the subsequent chapters.