[lit-ideas] Re: The Logic of "Remember"

  • From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 18:34:01 EST

In a message dated 11/8/2004 6:51:01 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
Robert.Paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
I think  it is analytically true ... that one can't,
... remember [p when p is  false]. One can *seem* [my emphasis. JLS] to  
remember lots
of things that did not _in fact_ [my emphasis. JLS] happen;  this appears to 
be more common than
remembering things correctly; but  surely 'I remember the explosion but there 
was
no explosion,' taken  straight, needs some explaining.
Is it the same for forgetting? Yes. 'I  forgot that today was Tuesday, but it
isn't Tuesday,' is on the face of it  senseless. (I confess I don't understand
JL's example of the student who  forgets 'that Columbus discovered America in
1815.') In cases where it  matters ('recovered memories' of childhood abuse,
e.g.), it makes a great  deal of difference whether what the alleged victim is
alleged to have  forgotten actually took place. If it turns out that they did 
not
take  place, then it would also turn out that the victim was not a victim  
after
all. 
 
----
 
Mmm. Interesting. I think perhaps the logic of 'remember' should provide  too 
then for cases of 'misremembering'. R. Paul mentions 'remember correctly',  
as opposed, I would add, to 'remember things INcorrectly'. 
 
I would think that if one uses 'remember' (and 'memory' for that matter)  
loosely enough (but then why would one?) then this may have a consequence for  
theories of 'personal identity' -- a la Locke, Quinton, or Grice -- in 
"Personal 
 Identity", Mind 1941 -- that are actually _built_ on the idea of mnemonic  
state.
 
On the other hand, it doesn't seem to me that when psychologists are  
studying _memory_ they care a whole lot about whether the memories are, as we  
may 
call them, 'factive'?
 
Cheers,
 
JL





------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html

Other related posts: