I Remember That. At Least I Think I Do.

I've been thinking about memories lately. Not memories about things that have just happened but memories about things that happened to me some time ago. Things that have lost their sheen of newness and have taken on the smoothness and warmth of age. Let me cite an example: I remember seeing the Mona Lisa in "real life" for the first time about 5 years ago. I remember walking up to it and joining the crowd surrounding it and then looking at the eyes and then the face.

Now my question is: How do I know that these memories are real? Or to put it another way: How do I know that I actually experienced what I remember?

Let us examine the above example to clarify my question. OK I remember seeing the Mona Lisa hanging on a wall in the Louvre. But how do I know that I saw it. Notice I don't ask how I know I was in the Louvre or Paris or France. These I can verify because I retain the tickets, hotel bills etc. There is, of course, a deeper question about whether these themselves are real but that is not part of this discussion. Let us assume for the moment that these are real. Therefore I can prove that I was in the Louvre museum in Paris at a certain time and that at that time the Mona Lisa was hanging on a wall there.

OK So far so good but this still does not prove that I actually saw the painting only that I have a memory of so doing. Now we know that the mind is an imperfect organ and can forget things and have hallucinations. Could this memory not be one of those. I mean I know what the Mona Lisa looks like. I have seen it in books. But did I actually see it? I have to say that I don't know. I feel that I did but logically I cannot be certain.

Even memories for which I have some form of verification (picture etc.) are suspect because, although the verification is real my memories of how I obtained it may not be. Another example may be in order here: I have a memory of going to Skokholm Island in Wales with some friends to photograph. Whilst there I remember seeing a whole lot of Atlantic Puffins and one in particular:

Now I remember seeing this puffin and taking the image. I remember how I was feeling (happy) and what the weather was like (grey clouds) but how much of this is "real" and how much imagined? Another example: I remember when my son was born. I remember seeing him (in an incubator) the first time. I remember holding him and so on but that was 23 years ago. I have my son and I know he is real but how do I know that my first memories of him are? Again I feel they are but how can I prove it logically? I know that with my limited analytical abilities I cannot. To be honest I'm not sure you can.