What we said of
thinking can also be applied to imagining. Someone
says, he imagines King's College on fire.
We ask him: “How do you know that
it's
King's College you
imagine on fire? Couldn't it be a different
building, very much like it? In
64.
fact, is your imagination
so absolutely exact that there might not be a dozen buildings whose
representation your image could be?” ‒ ‒ ‒
And still you say: “There's no doubt
I imagine King's College and no other
building”. But can't saying this be
making the very connection we want? For saying it is
like writing the words “Portrait of
Mr.
So-and-so” under a
picture. It might have been that
while you
imagined King's College on fire you said the
words “King's College is on
fire”. But in very many cases you certainly
don't speak explanatory words in your mind while you have
the image. And consider, even if you do, you are not
going the whole way from your image to King's
College, but only to the words “King's
College”. The connection between these
words and King's College was, perhaps, made at
another time.