A world without imagination? Consequences of aphantasia for an existential account of self
Fox-Muraton, M. (2021). A world without imagination? consequences of aphantasia for an existential account of self. History of European Ideas, 47(3), 414–428. doi:10.1080/01916599.2020.1799553
Abstract
Aphantasia is a spectrum disorder, affecting the ability of otherwise healthy individuals to form voluntary or conscious mental images, and in some cases also any form of sensory representation. Al...
Authors
- Mélissa Fox-Muraton2
What This Study Is About
The researcher wanted to know: if you can’t "see" your past memories or your future goals in your head, does that change who you are? This paper explores how aphantasia—the inability to create mental imagery (picturing things in your "mind’s eye")—challenges old philosophical ideas about what it means to be a human being.
How They Studied It
This wasn't a lab experiment with heart monitors or brain scans. Instead, it was a "philosophical investigation." The author analyzed the works of famous thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Søren Kierkegaard, who both argued that imagination is the "glue" that holds a person’s identity together. The author then compared these old theories to the real-life experiences of people with aphantasia, including her own personal experience living with the condition.
What They Found
In the past, some philosophers suggested that without a mind's eye, a person would be "stuck" in the present, unable to truly learn from the past or plan for the future. However, this study argues that those old theories are likely wrong.
- Different "Toolkits": People with aphantasia don't lack an identity; they just build it differently. Instead of using "mental movies," they use facts, language, and logic to navigate their lives.
- Fact over Film: While most people "re-watch" a memory, someone with aphantasia might remember it like a list of data points. They still know who they are; they just don't need a picture to prove it.
What This Might Mean
This research suggests that there isn't just one "right" way for a human mind to work. It shows that our sense of self is much deeper than just the images we see in our heads. However, because this is a philosophical paper based on personal testimony and theory, it doesn't "prove" how every aphantasic brain works. It "suggests" that we need to update our definitions of "imagination" to include people who think in ideas rather than pictures.
One Interesting Detail
The author describes her own memory as a "story" rather than a "video." For example, she remembers her husband was wearing a grey sweater not because she can see it, but because she "told herself" that fact at the time and kept the information!
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.