Justification by Imagination

The goal of this chapter is to argue that perceptual imaginings are a source of justification. The widespread scepticism about a justificatory role for imaginings stems mainly from the observation that what we imagine, unlike what we perceptually experience, is up to us. This chapter argues that understanding the recreative nature of imaginings provides us with an explanation of why what we imagine is not completely up to us, but is systematically constrained by the general structure of perceptual experience. And, it shows how on this basis imaginings justify us in interesting beliefs about the structure of our perceptual experience and in beliefs about the structure of the world.