How do we know if animals remember? Proximal functions and the distribution of episodic memory.

Schwartz, Arieh ORCID: 0000-0002-2777-1732 and Boyle, Alexandria ORCID: 0000-0001-8827-5479 (2025) How do we know if animals remember? Proximal functions and the distribution of episodic memory. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. ISSN 0007-0882 (In Press)

Text ('How do we know if animals remember' (Author Accepted Manuscript-LSERO)) - Accepted Version Pending embargo until 1 January 2100. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (529kB)

Abstract

Which animals have episodic memory? One reason this is difficult to answer is that episodic memory could be expected to vary across species, making it hard to give a principled account of what ‘counts’ as an episodic memory system. In this paper, we propose that the investigation of episodic memory in animals should be guided by an account of its proximal proper functions: its most basic selected effects. In short, an animal has episodic memory if it has a memory system with the proximal functions of episodic memory. Whilst there are many accounts of episodic memory’s distal functions, little attention has been paid to its proximal functions. To remedy this, we develop a preliminary account of episodic memory’s proximal functions and use this to evaluate existing evidence about episodic memory in animals.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s)
Divisions:	CPNSS Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited:	26 Sep 2025 12:03
Last Modified:	26 Sep 2025 12:06
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129606

Actions (login required)

View Item