The Psychology of Imagination

work by Sartre

Also known as: “L’Imaginaire: Psychologie phénoménologique de l’imagination”(Show More)

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July 13, 2026

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Jean-Paul Sartre's work on imagination, particularly in The Psychology of Imagination, explores the concept through a phenomenological lens. He distinguishes between imaginative consciousness and perceptual consciousness, using the idea of intentionality. Sartre posits that imagination involves "positing an object as a nothingness," meaning it's a content that exists only in our disposition to perceive it, unlike memory or perception which are taken as real. This creative capacity allows us to see things that are not literally present, such as a face in a picture. Sartre's work on imagination is a foundational element of his broader existentialist philosophy, emphasizing radical freedom and consciousness.1234

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aesthetics
The role of imagination
The Psychology of Imagination) when he describes imagining as “the positing of an object as a nothingness”—as not being. In memory and perception we take our experience “for real.” In imagination we contribute a content that has no reality beyond our disposition to “see” it,…
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The Psychology of Imagination) when he describes imagining as “the positing of an object as a nothingness”—as not being. In memory and perception we take our experience “for real.” In imagination we contribute a content that has no reality beyond our disposition to “see” it,…
Read More