ImaginationWays of Knowing

TOK 11

Defining “Imagination”• Imagination refers to the refers to the psychological

prcess in which people extend the scope of what they know either with or without the use of their senses. Because imagination is hard to predict and fully measure, which is why imagination is often regarded as something a little unpredictable, and in some cultures, mistrusted.

• Definitions of “Imagination”

• (verb) the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses: she’d never been blessed with a vivid imagination her story captured the public’s imagination.

• (verb) the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful: she was set in her ways and lacked imagination;

• (noun) the part of the mind that imagines things: a girl who existed only in my imagination

Knowledge Questions• Knowledge questions regarding

“imagination” are:

• How reliable is emotion as a way of knowing things?

• Can we imagine something that isn’t possible?

• How are imagination and empathy related?

Real-Life Situations• Real-life situations regarding

knowing something through “imagination” are:

• How did mythological stories get created?

• What is the role of imagination in science?

• Is creativity learned or inherited?

Connection: Art• Art can be described as a “diverse

range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power“ (Wikipedia 2018).

• There is no authority that defines what is “good” or “bad,” art, or even what defines a piece of artwork. For this reason artists often create things that are only partially rooted in reality and are supported by their imagination.