Mental Imagery as a Form of Memory

In the philosophical literature, mental imagery is often described as falling under imagination. This paper critically examines this prevailing notion and contends that classifying mental imagery as a form of memory offers a more explanatorily fruitful framework. To do this, I challenge recent philosophical classifications and argue that if we want to embrace a naturalistic perspective, there are compelling reasons to adopt an alternative taxonomy that takes mental imagery to be a form of memory. Drawing upon research in cognitive science that highlights connections between mental imagery, long term memory and visual working memory, I contend that mental imagery should be understood in relation to these cognitive faculties. Reconsidering the taxonomy of mental imagery allows both to make the collaboration between philosophers and scientists more fruitful and to have a more nuanced understanding of what constitutes a case of mental imagery and its relationship with other mental processes.