The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Imagination (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy)

Imagination occupies a central place in philosophy, going back to Aristotle. However, following a period of relative neglect there has been an explosion of interest in imagination in the past two decades as philosophers examine the role of imagination in debates about the mind and cognition, aesthetics and ethics, as well as epistemology, science and mathematics. This outstanding Handbook contains over thirty specially commissioned chapters by leading philosophers organised into six clear sections examining the most important aspects of the philosophy of imagination, including: Imagination in historical context: Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Husserl, and Sartre What is imagination? The relation between imagination and mental imagery; imagination contrasted with perception, memory, and dreaming Imagination in aesthetics: imagination and our engagement with music, art, and fiction; the problems of fictional emotions and ‘imaginative resistance’ Imagination in philosophy of mind and cognitive science: imagination and creativity, the self, action, child development, and animal cognition Imagination in ethics and political philosophy, including the concept of 'moral imagination' and empathy Imagination in epistemology and philosophy of science, including learning, thought experiments, scientific modelling, and mathematics. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Imagination is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of mind and psychology, aesthetics, and ethics. It will also be a valuable resource for those in related disciplines such as psychology and art. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of illustrations List of contributors Acknowledgment Introduction: Exploring imagination 1 The nature of imagination 2 The uses of imagination Notes References Part I: Historical treatments of imagination 1. Aristotle on phantasia De Anima III.3: What phantasia is Phantasia: remembering and dreaming Thought and phantasia Phantasia and action Conclusion Notes References 2. Descartes The problematics of imagination before Descartes Descartes, thinking through the tradition The transition to the canonical works Imagination after the Discourse Legacy Acknowledgments Notes Further reading References 3. Hume 1 Introduction 2 Seeing, visualizing and the Copy Principle 3 Recalling, believing and imagining 4 Modal knowledge and imaginative resistance 5 Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Further reading References 4. Kant’s theory of the imagination 1 Kant and the power of the imagination 2 The imagination in cognition and perception 3 The imagination in aesthetics 4 The moral imagination Acknowledgments Notes Further reading References 5. Husserl Imagining: a Husserlian description The immediacy of imagination: Husserl’s transcendental antirepresentationalism Imagining possibilities: imagination as indispensable element of the phenomenological method Imagining and picture consciousness: wider implications Notes Further reading References 6. Sartre 1 Phenomenology: the four characteristics 2 The scope of Sartre’s account: the image family 3 Imagining’s psychological substrate: the analogon 4 The significance of imagining Notes Further reading References Part II: Contemporary discussions of imagination 7. Imagination and mental imagery 1 Introduction 2 Varieties of imagistic imaginings 3 Mental images and experiences 4 Purely imagistic imaginings and imagined experiences 5 Perspectives and experiences 6 Are images essential to the imagination? 7 Challenging cases 8 More challenging cases 9 Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Further reading References 8. Imagination and belief 1 Properties of belief that imagination lacks 2 Properties of imagination that belief lacks 3 Nichols and Stich on pretense 4 Schellenberg on imaginative immersion and the belief–imagination continuum thesis 5 Egan on delusions 6 The norm-application theory Acknowledgments Notes References 9. Imagination and perception 1 Introduction 2 Mental imagery 3 The similarity between perception and mental imagery 4 The difference between perception and mental imagery 5 The interaction between perception and mental imagery 6 Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes References 10. Imagination and memory Introduction Propositional vs. experiential Distinguishing features? Context matters "False memories” "Mental time travel” Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Further reading References 11. Imagination, dreaming, and hallucination Imagination vs. hallucination Imagination model consideration 1: comparison between dreams and fictions Imagination model consideration 2: the normative status of dream states Imagination model consideration 3: psychological data Imagination model consideration 4: conceptual issues Hallucination model consideration 1: emotional engagement Hallucination model consideration 2: phenomenology Dreaming, imagination, and epistemology The imagination model and disjunctivism Acknowledgments Notes Further reading References 12. Desire-like imagination 1 What are desire-like imaginings? 2 The case in favor 3 The case against 4 The state of the debate Acknowledgments Notes References Part III: Imagination in aesthetics 13. Art and imagination 1 The creation of art 2 The ontology of art 3 Ideal appreciation 4 Appreciating art imaginatively 5 Imagination across the arts References 14. Music and imagination Introduction The resemblance theory Persona theories Imagination without personae Conclusion References 15. Imagination and fiction Methodology “Imagining Plus ...” Friend’s “No Imagining” Matravers’ “No Imagining” “Imagining Only” Notes Further reading References 16. Fiction and emotion The descriptive question The normative question Conclusion Acknowledgments References Part IV: Imagination in philosophy of mind and cognitive science 17. The cognitive architecture of imaginative resistance 1 Imagination 2 Imaginative resistance 3 Cognitive imagination accounts 4 Conative imagination accounts 5 No-imagination accounts 6 Directions for future research Acknowledgments Notes References 18. Imagination and creativity 1 Kant 2 Sartre 3 Imagination, scientific discovery, and experiment 4 Conceptual and empirical relations Conclusion Acknowledgements Notes References 19. Simulation theory 1 Introduction 2 The concept of simulation 3 High-level simulation 4 Low-level simulation 5 Conclusion Notes References 20. Imagination and the self 1 Introduction 2 Williams’s puzzle 3 The naive view and its critics 4 Contents as properties 5 Lakoff cases 6 Further issues Notes References 21. Imagination and action Introduction: why imagination matters 1 Imagery-oriented action 2 Imaginative attitudes and desires in action 3 Constructive imagination and action choice Conclusion: acting in relation to Acknowledgments Notes Further reading References 22. Imagination and child development Studying development can be informative for philosophy Pretend play Counterfactual reasoning Fictional stories The imagination/reality distinction Imagination in ASD Linking imaginative abilities with each other and other capacities Conclusion References 23. Imagination and pretense 1 What is pretense? 2 The proximal function of pretense 3 Do animals pretend? 4 The distal function of pretense: creativity 5 Conclusion Further reading References 24. Can animals imagine? Mental imagery Perceiving as and pretending Creativity Conclusions Acknowledgments Notes References 25. Imagination and rationality Counterfactuals and the imagination Counterfactuals and reasoning Conclusions References Part V: Imagination in ethics, moral psychology, and political philosophy 26. Moral imagination Imagination as a key component of moral sentiment theories The marginalization of imagination in moral philosophy The movement toward a more constitutive view of imagination in moral cognition Dewey’s conception of moral imagination Moral imagination as simulation The scope of moral imagination References 27. Empathy and the imagination The concept of empathy Empathy, knowledge of other minds, and the recreative imagination The importance of the empathic imagination for our moral and social identity Notes References 28. The ethics of imagination and fantasy Introduction Deontic vs. evaluative questions Blame vs. disesteem The intrinsic value of imagined content Three kinds of imagining Notes Further reading References 29. Imagination and the Capabilities Approach The Capabilities Approach in context Imagination as an essential complex capability Opportunities that can fuel imagination The capability of imagination in education Enlarging imagination’s prospects References Part VI: Imagination in epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mathematics 30. Imagination and learning Learning Imagining Reliable and unreliable imaginings Imaginings guided by fiction Learning to empathize Imagination and the messages in fiction Conclusion Notes References 31. Thought experiment and imagination Advertised advantages of imagination Scientific thought experiments A Platonic account of thought experiment Describing mental imagery Deimagining thought experiments Empiricist approximations to rationalism Conflicting experiments and thought experiments Conflicting modes of imagination Propositional confusion Attitude confusion References 32. Imagination and modal epistemology 1 Skeptical worries and defeaters 2 Imagination-based modal epistemologies 3 Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes References 33. Imagination in scientific modeling Introduction Scientific modeling Abstract object views Indirect fiction views Direct fiction views Physical models Conclusion Further reading References 34. Imagination in mathematics 1 Imagination in mathematics in the classical era 2 Imagination in mathematics in the modern era 3 Imagination in mathematics since the nineteenth century 4 Conclusions Acknowledgments Notes References Index Imagination occupies a central place in philosophy, going back to Aristotle. However, following a period of relative neglect there has been an explosion of interest in imagination in the past two decades as philosophers examine the role of imagination in debates about the mind and cognition, aesthetics and ethics, as well as epistemology, science and mathematics. This outstanding Handbook contains over thirty specially commissioned chapters by leading philosophers organized into six clear sections examining the most important aspects of the philosophy of imagination, including: Imagination in historical context: Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Husserl, and Sartre; What is imagination? The relation between imagination and mental imagery; imagination contrasted with perception, memory, and dreaming; Imagination in aesthetics: imagination and our engagement with music, art, and fiction; the problems of fictional emotions and 'imaginative resistance;' Imagination in philosophy of mind and cognitive science: imagination and creativity, the self, action, child development, and animal cognition; Imagination in ethics and political philosophy, including the concept of 'moral imagination' and empathy; Imagination in epistemology and philosophy of science, including learning, thought experiments, scientific modeling, and mathematics. -- Publisher's description Part 1: Historical Treatments of Imagination -- 1. Aristotle on Phantasia / Deborah Modrak -- 2. Descartes / Dennis Sepper -- 3. Hume / Fabian Dorsch -- 4. Kant’s Theory of Imagination / Samantha Matherne -- 5. Husserl / Julia Jansen -- 6. Sartre / Robert Hopkins -- Part 2: Contemporary Discussions of Imagination -- 7. Imagination and Mental Imagery / Dominic Gregory -- 8. Imagination and Belief / Neil Sinhababu -- 9. Imagination and Perception / Bence Nanay -- 10. Imagination and Memory / Dorothea Debus -- 11. Imagination, Dreaming, and Hallucination / Jonathan Jenkins Ichikawa -- 12. Desire-Like Imagination / Amy Kind -- Part 3: Imagination in Aesthetics -- 13. Art and Imagination / Nick Wiltsher and Aaron Meskin -- 14. Music and Imagination / James O. Young -- 15. Imagination and Fiction / Kathleen Stock -- 16. Fiction and Emotion / Stacie Friend -- 17. The Cognitive Architecture of Imaginative Resistance / Kengo Miyazono and Shen-yi Liao --^ Part 4: Imagination in Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science -- 18. Imagination and Creativity / Dustin Stokes -- 19. Simulation Theory / Shannon Spaulding -- 20. Imagination and the Self / Dilip Ninan -- 21. Imagining and Action / Neil Van Leeuwen -- 22. Imagination and Child Development / Deena Weisberg -- 23. Imagination and Pretense / Elizabeth Picciuto and Peter Carruthers -- 24. Can Animals Imagine? / Robert Mitchell -- 25. Imagination and Rationality / Ruth Byrne -- Part 5: Imagination in Ethics, Moral Psychology, and Political Philosophy -- 26. Moral Imagination / Mark Johnson -- 27. Empathy and the Imagination / Karsten Stueber -- 28. The Ethics of Imagination and Fantasy / Aaron Smuts -- 29. Imagination and the Capabilities Approach / Natalie Fletcher -- Part 6: Imagination in Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy of Mathematics -- 30. Imagination and Learning / Greg Currie -- 31. Thought Experiment and Imagination / Roy Sorensen --^ 32. Imagination and Modal Epistemology / Peter Kung -- 33. Imagination in Scientific Modeling / Adam Toon -- 34. Imagination in Mathematics / Andrew Arana. edited by Amy Kind. Includes bibliographical references and index. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Imagination is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of mind and psychology, aesthetics, and ethics. Contains over thirty specially commissioned chapters by leading philosophers organised into six clear sections and examines the most important aspects of the philosophy of imagination.