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Contents
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1 Description
2 Psychology of imagination
6 Brain activation
7 Imagination as a reality
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
Description[edit]
The common use of the term is for the process of forming new images in the mind that have not
been previously experienced with the help of what has been seen, heard, or felt before, or at least
only partially or in different combinations. Some typical examples follow:
Fairy tale
Fiction
A form of verisimilitude often invoked in fantasy and science fiction invites readers to pretend
such stories are true by referring to objects of the mind such as fictional books or years that do
not exist apart from an imaginary world.
Imagination, not being limited to the acquisition of exact knowledge by the requirements of practical
necessity is largely free from objective restraints. The ability to imagine one's self in another person's
place is very important to social relations and understanding.Albert Einstein said, "Imagination ... is
more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." [8]
In various spheres, however, even imagination is in practice limited: thus a person whose
imaginations do violence to the elementary laws of thought, or to the necessary principles of
practical possibility, or to the reasonable probabilities of a given case is usually regarded by mental
health professionals as insane.
The same limitations beset imagination in the field of scientific hypothesis. Progress in scientific
research is due largely to provisional explanations which are developed by imagination, but such
hypotheses must be framed in relation to previously ascertained facts and in accordance with the
principles of the particular science.
Imagination is an experimental partition of the mind used to develop theories and ideas based on
functions. Taking objects from real perceptions, the imagination uses complex IF-functions [citation
needed]
to develop new or revised ideas. This part of the mind is vital to developing better and easier
ways to accomplish old and new tasks. These experimental ideas can be safely conducted inside a
virtual world and then, if the idea is probable and the function is true, the idea can be actualized in
reality. Imagination is the key to new development of the mind and can be shared with others,
progressing collectively.
Regarding the volunteer effort, imagination can be classified as:
involuntary (the reproductive imagination, the creative imagination, the dream of perspective)