The impure phenomenology of episodic memory

Boyle, Alexandria (2020) The impure phenomenology of episodic memory. Mind & Language, 35 (5). 641 - 660. ISSN 0268-1064

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Abstract

Episodic memory has a distinctive phenomenology: it involves “mentally reliving” a past event. It has been suggested that characterising episodic memory in terms of this phenomenology makes it impossible to test for in animals, because “purely phenomenological features” cannot be detected in animal behaviour. Against this, I argue that episodic memory's phenomenological features are impure, having both subjective and objective aspects, and so can be behaviourally detected. Insisting on a phenomenological characterisation of episodic memory consequently does nothing to damage the prospects for detecting it in nonhuman animals.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14680017
Additional Information:	© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited:	08 Sep 2022 14:12
Last Modified:	19 Mar 2024 07:54
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/116467

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