Causal Theories of Memory

Causal theories of memory aim to give a philosophical account of what it is to remember something. According to such theories, to remember something is to be in a mental state or undergo a mental episode that stands in an appropriate kind of causal connection to one or more of one's previous mental states or episodes. More specifically, causal theories of memory typically have it that the causal connection involves the persistence of a trace: The original experience of an event has left a trace on the subject, which is now operative in the subject's remembering the event. In psychology, the idea that remembering involves the activation of memory traces is typically taken as uncontroversial, the main focus of research being on what is known as the problem of localization—that is, of trying to identify brain structures that realize such traces. In fact, however, attempting to explain what it is to remember in terms of the idea of a memory trace turns out far from straightforward. This entry summarizes arguments for and against causal theories of memory and distinguishes two ways of understanding the appeal such theories make to the notion of a trace.