Because of the breadth of the topic, this entry focuses exclusively on contemporary discussions of imagination in the Anglo-American philosophical tradition. For an overview of historical discussions of imagination, see the sections on pre-twentieth century and early twentieth century accounts of entry on mental imagery; for notable historical accounts of imagination, see corresponding entries on Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Gilbert Ryle; for a more detailed and comprehensive historical survey, see Brann 1991; and for a sophisticated and wide-ranging discussion of imagination in the phenomenological tradition, see Casey 2000.

• 1. The Nature of Imagination
  • 1.1 Varieties of Imagination
  • 1.2 Taxonomies of Imagination
  • 1.3 Norms of Imagination
• 2. Imagination in Cognitive Architecture
  • 2.1 Imagination and Belief
  • 2.2 Imagination and Desire
  • 2.3 Imagination, Imagery, and Perception
  • 2.4 Imagination and Memory
  • 2.5 Imagination and Supposition
• 3. Roles of Imagination
  • 3.1 Mindreading
  • 3.2 Pretense
  • 3.3 Psychopathology
  • 3.4 Engagement with the Arts
    • Supplement: Puzzles and Paradoxes of Imagination and the Arts
  • 3.5 Creativity
  • 3.6 Knowledge
  • 3.7 Figurative Language
• Bibliography
• Academic Tools
• Other Internet Resources
• Related Entries