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Mental imagery and fiction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Dustin Stokes
Dustin Stokes*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
*
Dustin Stokes [email protected]
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Abstract

Fictions evoke imagery, and their value consists partly in that achievement. This paper offers analysis of this neglected topic. Section 2 identifies relevant philosophical background. Section 3 offers a working definition of imagery. Section 4 identifies empirical work on visual imagery. Sections 5 and 6 criticize imagery essentialism, through the lens of genuine fictional narratives. This outcome, though, is not wholly critical. The expressed spirit of imagery essentialism is to encourage philosophers to ‘put the image back into the imagination’. The weakened conclusion is that while an image is not essential to imagining, it should be returned to our theories of imagination.

Keywords

Imageryimaginationfictionnarrativelanguage processingimagery essentialism
Type
Original Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 49 , Issue 6 , September 2019 , pp. 731 - 754
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Journal of Philosophy 2018

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