Memory as a tool: An analogy with the guiding stick

There is a classical philosophical puzzle regarding the objects of memory. Does one remember past events? But these cannot be in one's head. On the other hand, if we do remember representations that are in our head how can these be said to present past memories? The present discussion proposes to answer this puzzle by regarding memory as a tool. An analogy is made between the case of 'memory' and that noted by Polanyi regarding a blind man and his stick. The discussion is framed in the more general theoretical context of the critique of the representational view of mind. On the one hand, it is pointed out that the puzzle posed here does not disappear when mental representations are postulated. On the other hand, the viewing of memory as a tool also has analogies in other domains and can be accommodated within the general framework of action-based psychology.