I think there might even be a bit of imagination lent the experience of
reality. If our tendencies are built up by experience, yet a few
thoughts can undo all of that, perhaps the experience of the real and
imaginary occur in the same mental space. For some they may be
indistinguishable (for lack of better term: psychosis), I try to keep a
keen eye on my romancing and reminiscing and regard them as allies to
the more universally shared environs.
1Cell's idea of 'mental models' and 'daydreaming' is a pretty neat way
of putting it and when I am exploring this creativity it is usually a
process of switching back and forth, rebuilding and testing. Much of
this relies on analogy and allegory, which a broad base of knowledge of
different fields/experiences is a godsend. One of my favorite daydreams
(long before it appeared in cinema) has been exploring hypothetical
scenarios and testing my wit against mechanical systems in operation. My
test is observing actual causal chains, refactoring and allocating.
This is a powerful skill that is vastly underestimated, the more
interaction one gets with more diverse mental models the ability to
creatively apply them seems to exponentially increase. An interesting
property is the universality of mental models, if one gets accustomed to
this way of thinking everything is hacking-game: cosmology,
spirituality, psychology, religion, philosophy, software (firmware, PLC,
higher level), the many varied sciences (+science fiction), our selves,
and all the things and people in our environment and interrelations.
I am convinced that this is an innate feature of mankind, something we
know well when we live more in tune with our environment. Sadly, it goes
unaccounted for in the agendas of modern institutions. This I think is
the challenge for the modern man, a reemergence of identity and mastery
of What and Where (not just space-time) we are.
*All IMO
My 'sin' is suffering,
-Ash
On 2/10/2010 3:56 PM, Molly wrote:
What is imagination? Is it useful and if so, how do you use it and/or
can it be a hindrance?
In a brief discussion dedicated to imagination (De Anima iii 3),
Aristotle identifies it as “that in virtue of which an image occurs in
us” (De Anima iii 3, 428aa1-2), where this is evidently given a broad
range of application to the activities involved in thoughts, dreams,
and memories. Both Husserl and Sartre theorized imagination as
picture consciousness, and Sartre wrote two books on the imagination
early in his career, defining imagination as the synthesis of our
knowledge of and our intention, and imaginary objects as a "melange
of past impressions and recent knowledge" (The Imaginary 90)
Dr. Carl G. Jung said, “All the works of man have their origin in
creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination.”
His psychology emphasized Active Imagination as a method for
visualizing unconscious issues by letting them act themselves out.
Active Imagination personifies the "parts" of us that are talking --
to create more clarity or even resolution that might not be possible
with ordinary linear problem-solving.
Cognitive psychology focused on mental imagery in the 1970s. Great
claims continue to be made, by some, for the healing powers of guided
imagery, whereby clients (or patients) are encouraged to visualize
particular scenes or scenarios thought to have therapeutic value
(e.g., Rossman, 2000). Guided imagery techniques have been claimed to
be effective for purposes ranging from chronic pain relief (e.g.,
Fontaine, 2000) to breast enlargement and global spiritual renewal
(Willard, 1977; Ekstein, 2001) Currently, Noetic Science (the study
of how thoughts interact with the physical world) continues these
studies.
Imagination is not limited to only seeing pictures in the mind, it
includes all the five senses and the feelings. Imagination makes it
possible to experience a whole world inside the mind. It gives the
ability to look at any situation from a different point of view, and
enables one to mentally explore the past and the future. Is
imagination the common thread that unites creative endeavors?
According to the Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind : “despite being a
familiar word of everyday language, imagination is a very complex,
contested, and evaluatively loaded concept. It, like many cognate
terms, often appears to have radically different senses and
connotations when used in different contexts.”
What do YOU think?
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds
Eye"" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en.
