Aphantasia, imagination and dreaming
Philosophical Studies September 18, 2020 DOI: 10.1007/s11098-020-01526-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind Dreaming |
| Keywords | Mental image Consciousness Epistemology Metaphysics Dream Context archaeology Empirical research Cognition |
| Citations | 39 |
| Key points | Argues that the dream reports of aphantasics constitute an empirical challenge to the view that dreams are essentially imaginative experiences, but that this challenge can be overcome if the imagination theorist adopts a modified account of dreams as involuntary and inactive forms of imagination. |
Abstract
Abstract Aphantasia is a recently discovered disorder characterised by the total incapacity to generate visual forms of mental imagery. This paper proposes that aphantasia raises important theoretical concerns for the ongoing debate in the philosophy and science of consciousness over the nature of dreams. Recent studies of aphantasia and its neurobehavioral correlates reveal that the majority of aphantasics, whilst unable to produce visual imagery while awake, nevertheless retain the capacity to experience rich visual dreams. This finding constitutes a novel explanandum for theories of dreaming. Specifically, I argue that the recent dream reports of aphantasics constitute an empirical challenge to the emerging family of views which claim that dreams are essentially imaginative experiences, constitutively involving the kinds of mental imagery which aphantasics, ex - hypothesi, lack. After presenting this challenge in the context of Jonathan Ichikawa’s recent arguments for this view, I argue that this empirical challenge may be overcome if the imagination theorist abandons Ichikawa’s account of dreaming in favour of a modified version. This involves the claim that dreams are essentially inactive and constitutively involve non voluntary forms of imagination. I conclude with a suggestion for further research which can test the viability of this alternative hypothesis, and move the debate forward.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming | 2015 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Aphantasia and Conscious Thought July 7, 2023
- “Diversity makes the richness of humanity”: the emergence of mental imagery after self-reported psilocybin mushrooms intake in an autistic woman with “blind imagination” (aphantasia): a 1-year retrospective case report August 16, 2023
- Safety and dream scepticism in Sosa’s epistemology Synthese May 23, 2024
- “Diversity makes the richness of humanity”: The emergence and persistence of mental imagery after self-reported psilocybin truffles intake in an autistic woman with “blind imagination” (aphantasia): A 33-month retrospective case report Journal of Psychedelic Studies June 17, 2025
- Getting lucid about lucid dreaming The Philosophical Quarterly November 11, 2024
Cites 14
- Are There Levels of Consciousness? Trends in Cognitive Sciences April 22, 2016
- Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Sleep September 1, 2009
- Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research Choice Reviews Online January 20, 2016
- Lucid dreaming incidence: A quality effects meta-analysis of 50 years of research Consciousness and Cognition June 20, 2016
- Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Perceptual and Motor Skills February 1, 2011
and 9 more in the library