I’ve been curious about the phenomenon of memory, or perhaps more precisely, recall. For example, I can recall standing at the top of a granitic, sub-alpine cliff at the head of a waterfall. I can also “recall” standing near Wesley at the top of the Cliffs of Insanity. Obviously I know that one happened to me and one didn’t, but to me the two mental processes seem to be of the same catagory, and I’m suspicious that this is true of everyone but that few recognize it. I do recognize a very few “memories” that feel somewhat different—one is standing on a tropical beach with small waves lapping, palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze, general aroma of tropical island. One thing that seems to be key to this set is the inclusion of scent, and I speculate that it’s more tightly bound to a sense of “I-ness”. Even this set, however, seems less like memories of instants in time, and more like reconstructions of repeated experiences.
I’ve been curious about the phenomenon of memory, or perhaps more precisely, recall. For example, I can recall standing at the top of a granitic, sub-alpine cliff at the head of a waterfall. I can also “recall” standing near Wesley at the top of the Cliffs of Insanity. Obviously I know that one happened to me and one didn’t, but to me the two mental processes seem to be of the same catagory, and I’m suspicious that this is true of everyone but that few recognize it. I do recognize a very few “memories” that feel somewhat different—one is standing on a tropical beach with small waves lapping, palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze, general aroma of tropical island. One thing that seems to be key to this set is the inclusion of scent, and I speculate that it’s more tightly bound to a sense of “I-ness”. Even this set, however, seems less like memories of instants in time, and more like reconstructions of repeated experiences.
I think my experience of memory vs. imagination matches this.