We can safely assume that the class of imaginative literature is very general because it includes the classic futuristic books of S. Lem as well as the historical books written by M. Valtari with great novels by J. Verne and philosophical texts by M Bulghakov in between. Reading all these great novels is essential to access the "cultural universe" and facilitate our intellectual participation beyond the borders of narrow specialization. Concerning the teaching of imaginative literature, the best program is to condition the pupils to read as much as possible.

Reading imaginative literature can also teach us a lot about scientific writing in general; a good example is in the following New Yorker article:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-beautiful-mind-bending-of-stanislaw-lem

They both outline and drive human experience from the journeys of Gilgamesh, the obstacles and empathy of the Iliad towards the worship and essence of love and family in Christmas Carol. It gives our grasp and pursuit of life meaning beyond breathing and eating.

Definitely it should be included in the curriculum. It offers the students the potential to develop their imagination and intellectual faculties as long as the teaching is premissed on what imaginative lit. is really telling us about the current historical moment and the transformations that are taking place in it as well as our shifting perceptions of it.

I liked Janusz' reference to Bulghakov, who reminds us of how precious works of the imagination may be repressed at one time or another for ideological reasons. One important power of imaginative literature is to resist and challenge the strictures that ideology imposes upon one's possibilities of being. I don't mean my observation to refer particularly to the ideology in question; but any ideology, I suspect -- even a minor one, such as the collective attitudes and mores of a hometown, village, school, or family -- exercises an impoverishing effect of one kind or another. Thus, some who are not educated or acculturated into the appreciation of imaginative literature, may lack a particular dimension, quadrant, or portion, of the perception and self-reflection that reading has the potential to enhance. One is perhaps not absolutely stultified in its absence -- not quite as egregiously as Stanley suggests; but certain souls may blossom beneath its showers, if that is a comprehensible expression.

All literature is imaginative. The imagination is, next to reason, the most distinctively human capability. It leads to great things. When we read poetry and fiction, imagination fills in the worlds outlined by the author. There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away, said Emily Dickinson. The novel is the book of life, said D. H. Lawrence.

It is importat because, without any risk, it forces you to confront values and principles of life. Do you agree with the killer or with the victim, in a bloody novel? Reading imaginative literatura, do you distinguish between good and wrong? What kind of emotions and sentiments awake in yourself a literature of imagination, a poem, which, at the end, is nothing else but a resemblance of life?

Very frequently we forget this other side of iterature.

Reading imaginative literature helps one develop a broader repertoire as well as the ability to think outside the box and come up with possibilities and more choices

Responders seem to be trapped by modern learning systems. Imaginative literature is NOT an essential aspect of human experience. Before literature, cultures developed as learned were gainfully employed. Innovation continues to be only possible with imagination. Imaginative literature is an aide to expand minds. It should be encouraged. However, under the current educational system, based on historical accomplishments of people whose lives were half the current lifespan, we wean later, learn slower and are less mentally developed upon entering adulthood.

Social aspects of formal education have become a substitute for employing young imaginative minds through well developed reading skills. Always be mindful, we would not know how to use fire or metals which were in common use before writing if any type of literature was required by humans. Unfortunately, trained fascination with technological gadgets has replaced reading and intellectual pursuit. Innovation requires long-term synthesized thought. Snippets have replaced contiguous ideas exposed in literature, especially books. More details can be found in my books Learning as it influences the 21st century, and Culture and the mysterious agent changing it. See https://www.relatingtoancients.com/.

If you want to know the importance of imaginative literature sit with someone with a materialistic mathematical mind and try to convince them that the psychological state of humanbeings affects their actions. Imaginative studies should be in all curicullums to open the closed windows in our minds and hearts to better understand ourselves and others

Some of the greatest imaginative writers had highly mathematical minds- Poe, Edward Abbott, Lewis Carroll, Dr, Arthur Conan Doyle, Anton Chekhov, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, Phillip K. Dick, Karel Capek, William Gibson. To name a few.

imagination is the road for enlightenment, it is the thing that drives us far away to make us fly in the horizons of personalities and human initials. check pls. Coleridge's theory of primary and secondary imaginations.

It is a simple fact that everything we feed is growing. And a second simple fact is that we only become to know what we are able to believe in. So it is very important to deal with imaginative literature to feed our Imagination!

The process of becomming able to to things is: Conception (Imagination) followed by perception, followed by action(radius).

Furthermore even Einstein said: "...Imagination is more important than Knowledge. Knowledge is limited and Imagination encircles the world…"

To keep our mind on the go and sharpen our thought process.

A work of imaginative literature is a presentational symbol of human feeling or experience, a verbal presentation of an imaginary world in which imaginary beings engage inimaginary acts and processes, the whole being useful to human beings by enabling them to make certain kinds of abstractions

Ayn Rand said (paraphrasing) that the artist must translate his/her conceptions into reality (book, sculpture, painting etc) and the observer must look at the reality (manifestation, i.e. the art) and translate the artwork back into the observer's own conception. Art is definitely a language of the human mind. Imagination is a necessary component of the whole spectrum of this mental process. It is enhanced the more it is utilized - so: "dream on and create great works of art." [JMH]

Judith Mcfarland Hill ,

Thank you for your perceptive insight that I interpret as an articulation of the idea that all works of art worthy of the designation symbolize an even greater vision! Best regards.

Nancy, yes - the visual, audio (music) and intellectual arts - awesome!

Pertaining particularly to children, imaginative literature gives them access to concepts that are beyond their intellectual grasp and brings them into a form that is immediately perceivable to them at their level, for instance: characters in a novel - help them see how a person's actions impact an outcome. This is important where children are seeking to identify what kind of character they will develop in order to achieve their future goals. Although such concepts as: 'goals,' 'future' and 'character' are likely not ideas they consciously consider, the evidence and logic of a novel's character and results, will be helping the child to make associations between cause and effect, and thus will become relevant as they mature into self-determining adults. This is where a good teacher of literature can guide a child to recognize, understand and translate these important relationships into their real-world applications. Literature provides the complete context: past, present, future, i.e. beginning, middle and end, which really aids the mental grasp of concepts - vital for a child to become a critical thinker, and confident in his/her ability to trust his/her own competency.

Reading imaginaative literature is vital if you want to discern feelings, motives and values which authors have attested to capture throughout history.

Literary works illuminate the political, historical, social, ethical and philosophical. They are the map of human psychology. Examples are Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' which expounds the philosophy of P.J. Proudhon and Joyce's 'Dubliners' subtle exposure of British imperialism on the subjugated Irish.

Reading fictional literature is important because it helps creativity and increases the space for the use of reason in positive logical thinking

Judith Mcfarland Hill ,

I thank you for your articulation of how teaching imaginative literature educates children, who need to be formally prepared for the complexities and complications of life. Best regards.

Kathleen Ann O'Donnell ,

I greatly appreciate your calling attention to the interdisciplinary depth and richness woven into the fabric of the historical novel genre. And thanks for mentioning Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace and James Joyce's Dubliners as intersecting with philosophy and geopolitical history! Best wishes.

Hameedah Al-A'arajy ,

Thank you very much for contributing to this thread the concept that reading imaginative literature will lead to expanding one's horizons! Sincerely.

Shakir Faris Tuleab ,

Thanks for suggesting ways in which reading fictional literature may boost scientific research: it enhances "creativity" and develops the mind, because it "increases the space for the use of reason in positive thinking"! Best wishes.

Imaginative literature teaches us wisdom and creates a philosophical question in us, it makes us wonder, it makes us think, we compare, we search for solutions to problems we may face. It makes us see reality but from a different perspective, from another angle. It made us doubt our reality. Imaginative literature is not luxury, tendency or whim.

If we review the ancient human heritage, we may find many of it. It may appear in the form of a statue, plaque, talisman, ritual primitive tribe, or totem. Even the holy books have a lot of imagination, some people may consider them real, and others may consider them as mere metaphors whose purpose is a lesson based on a person's belief or faith.

It is necessary to teach it in universities as a basic subject and according to the major. Creative fields may benefit from it more.

To me, it is an escape--a journey into another world.

Imaginative communication, both to others and within parts of the self, is at the heart of why people turn to poetry - reading and writing it - as a human need. Why poetry can feel disappointing is also an interesting line of research - either people ignore poetry (discounting the needs for an imaginal inner life), or perhaps poetry makes them angry (they feel failed personally or societally by poetry). These things are not easily quantifiable, other than to say that the imaginative life is vital and shown when it is being signalled in these ways as an absence. K

Zaid Ibrahim Ismael ,

It is certainly true that many people read imaginative literature as an intellectually edifying way to "escape"; yet, paradoxically, works of literary art, including poems, novels, short stories, plays, and essays, provide, as you observe, "escape--a journey into another world," a world that is hermetically sealed off from the unpleasant discord of the world of everyday reality by aesthetic beauty, ethical wholesomeness, and thus, unity of meaning, which also invites freedom of interpretation.

It may lead to the breadth and depth of a person's imagination and thinking, and it may lead to achieving pleasure for the person.

So this link maybe useful for you:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40366112

"For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store."

Isaac Bashevis Singer

Concerns literature as well.

It enriches your imagination and thinking process. It adds cognitive skills such as but not limited to creativity, intelligence, and thinking outside the box.

I Agree with Katherine Pierpoint

Imagination is important to make the students more creative and in increasing the flexibility in the porcess of interpretation.

Abdelkader Mohamed Elsayed ,

Thank you for your answers. I agree with you that imaginative literature increases cognitive knowledge and can supplement hard core knowledge gained directly, such as, for example, in textbooks.

A reflection of our unconscious reality

Bilal Hamamra ,

I thank you for your insightful answer!

''In the sphere of thought, sober civilization is roughly synonymous with science. But science, unadulterated, is not satisfying: men need also passion and art and religion. Science may set limits to knowledge, but should not set limits to imagination.' Bertrand Russell 'History of Western Philosophy'.

Imaginative literature fine tunes a personality. Though some characters are fictitious they soothe the distressed soul. At times transcendentalism metamorphosis trauma to treat that solaces heart and mind. And definitely imaginative literature is inevitable for English Literature students. There is nothing wrong in including this genre in curriculum.

Kathleen Ann O'Donnell ,

Thank you for your contribution of a quotation of a rather complex assertion in Bertrand Russell's "History of Western Philosophy."

Rathika Boobalan ,

Thank you for your reply, which states that "imaginative literature is inevitable for English Literature students" and that "There is nothing wrong in including this genre in curriculum," because although "some characters are fictitious they soothe the distressed soul." And I agree that reading "Imaginative literature fine tunes a personality."

Michał Mazurkiewicz

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

Quote by Friedrich Nietzsche

Concerns lit too ;)

Imaginative literature is important in constructing the notion of 'teacher' and exploring it would be a great springboard for opening up discussion of how teacher education students think about teachers and teaching.

Dear Prof. Nancy Ann Watanabe, I am inline with Prof. Janusz Pudykiewicz's post. I enjoy very much S. Lem books.

It triggers your intuition and challenges you too

Pedro L. Contreras E. ,

Thanks so much for your answer, which I appreciate. Best regards.

Joan Nyika ,

I agree with you; imaginative literature triggers our intuition and challenges us. Thank you very much. Best regards.

The literary quality of many worjs of imaginative literature is unsung and remarkable. The Titus trilogy by Mervyn Peake, the Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever series by Stephen R. Donaldson, the works of George McDonsld, H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury are no less estimable than canon works. Peake’s work in particular transports the reader no less powerfully than Jane Austen and Jonatgan Franzen.

Jim Drummond ,

Thanks so much for your answer! I agree with you! Very best regards.

P.S. I wonder why canonical literary works of the imagination are categorized so differently from science fiction works of the imagination?

The difficult we do today, the impossile we will do tomorrow. This kind of thinking requires a creative mind; imaginative reading material may well help in this regard.

Lou

Yes, I advocate healthy reading habits … those who read any "sacred books" are actually doing what the Bible (my experience) recommends: do not take their word for it. Be a Berean & check out even Paul's rendering of Scripture. Beyond that, it enhances life, imagination, intelligence or familiarity with places & persons we may never see. Thirdly, I benefit from a good literary contribution - as from excellent art & movies - because I stop navel-gazing and hear other perspectives. Even novelists are imitating he great ones from the Past (and more recent or contemporary) writers. Blessings, READ ON RIGHT ON & write LIGHT on. shalom!

Nancy Ann Watanabe

The political and psychological controversies over the composition of the "canon" are vast and unending, but I think a common characteristic beyond politics is that imaginative literature is often considered to have crossed the borderline between psycho-socio-scientific materialism and mythological fantasy. Compare Pride and Prejudice to Cinderella. The latter genre is often seen as juvenile, per Dungeons and Dragons, or as ignoring major social issues regarding gender, race, patriarchy, oligarchy, exploitation, etc. There are some works of fantasy that I think are included in the canon, if only marginally such as Lewis Carroll and Tolkien, because they do address those issues. Humpty Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass displays the arrogance of a legal manipulator of words or a propagandist when he says that words mean what he wants them to mean- "It's a question of who is to be master, that is all." What I see in the best Century 19-20-21 imaginative literature is a powerful combination of Jungian or Frazerian Golden Bough archetypes which inspire, and literal or metaphorical attention to the search for freedom, as exemplified in Joanna Russ's The Female Man or in Kurt Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan. Orwell's 1984, Huxley's Brave New World, Capek's R.U.R., Edward Abbott's Flatland, are all works of imaginative literature. Whether they are in the canon or out is, I think, an increasingly irrelevant discussion. What about the Samuel Beckett's Watt (unit of electricity?) which pares consciousness down to a unicellular integer, v. No Exit by Sartre which deals with bad faith pervasiveness in all social interactions. Both writers are very different and both imaginative yet "realistic." If the work is really good it can be taught to beginning students as a means of teaching about literary criticism. I do think everyone should read a lot of Shakespeare, though. :) And I highly recommend Auerbach's Mimesis - a brilliant work with not a single footnote - as a panoramic starting point. [Sorry this response was so terse and abbreviated. :)]

Jim Drummond, it is a service to us all to have your panoramic perspectives, with citations. The writer, the Poet, the Fool … many upstage the acts in Shakespeare - are not incidental, but pivotal, to great writers' messages. We need ART to LIVE! Shalom, shalom & THANKS

Jim Drummond ,

You taught me a great deal in a concise, clear, comprehensive, and coherent way, in particular the remarkable contrast between, as you phrase it, the "psycho-socio-scientific materialism and mythological fantasy, on one hand, and, on the other, concern with "major social issues regarding gender, race, patriarchy, oligarchy, exploitation, etc." Thank you for enumerating outstanding examples of classics in imaginative literature, as well as in literary criticism.

Erich Auerbach is memorable for me, not only because, as you observe, he developed the New Critical Approach to Literary Texts into art and science with perspicacious and penetrating analyses of world literature. The current issue of the PMLA, vol. 135, no. 3 (May 2020) has the lead article on "The Gospel according to Auerbach," by Jane O. Newman, on pages 455 to 473. For some reason, all of the main articles in this issue are especially interesting to me.

Waiting for Godot is a favorite of mind, so I am most appreciative, now that I belong to Research Gate, to know that Samuel Beckett's Watt refers to electricity!

Best my best regards and wishes.

Nancy Ann Watanabe That was an idea I had at CCNY 44 years ago, and I wrote a paper on it for Professor Marvin Magalaner, unfortunately lost as were other papers I wrote on Beckett and Joyce. It was before copy machines were regularly available and 12 years before my first computer. It was called the Electric Metaphor in Watt, referring to stripping down the person to a featureless integer. Whether it was intentional by Beckett, I have no idea. It could have as easily been a pun on "What" without a question mark. :) Or none of the above. I would love to see the Auerbach article but am not a subscriber.

Dear all, it Always open new and limiless lines for mind activation. It makes us gets out of the ordinary ritual thoughts. Life progress is always fascinated by mobility and change. My Regards

Jim Drummond ,

Just in case you might be interested in joining the MLA (Modern Language Association of America), here is a link to find out about it:

https://www.mla.org/Membership/About-Membership

The COVID-19 pandemic may be the reason that the following URL for information about purchasing a single issue of the PMLA looks as if it is valid for 2019:

www.mla.org/store/CID70

This URL is from the masthead in the current PMLA issue, which was in my mailbox on Friday, July 24, 2020, but it is the May 2020 issue.

The other articles besides (1) "The Gospel according to Auerbach" include:

(2) "Life's Returns: Hylozoism, Again," by Matthew A. Taylor;

(3) "Robbe-Grillet in America: The Nouveau Roman Meets the Language Textbook," by Sara Kippur;

(4) "A Speech-Musical Modernism: Harry Partch's Lyric Media," by Matthew Kilbane;

and

(5) "Ralph Ellison, Chester Himes, and the Persistence of Urban Forms," by Sarah Wasserman

In addition to the regular journal articles section are (1) a short article under "little-known documents" introduced and translated; and (2) "theories and methodologies" with brief articles of a less formal nature on various topics.

Some bookstores that gradually closed as the online stores proliferated used to sell individual PMLA copies in their magazine sections.

So if it is something you want to look into, this is a starter anyway.

Nancy Ann Watanabe

Thank you! I will check it out.

Regarding the role of imaginative literature, humans have to think on proxies for the sake of clarity. Imaginative literature is the platform upon which we learn to think through proxies. Through a story, we tend to disassociate ourselves and are in a position to think clearly over a living situation that we otherwise cannot think clearly. Hope this helps.

Again, imaginative literature becomes a necessity because deep down humans are fed up from a chronological and journalistic approach to history. Such a depleted approach to history forces them to embrace fiction as a way to compensate for the inner hunger relevant for the understanding of historical phenomenon.

Fouad Mami ,

Thank you for your reply to the discussion question in which you use the word "proxie," I think, to emphasize that imaginative literature allows readers to consider themes, characters, and issues that are important to them, more objectively, so that they see things with greater clarity of perception.

Fouad Mami ,

If I understand correctly, you wish to point out that factual reality is sometimes presented to us with built-in biases, including historical contexts and journalistic angles. In contrast, imaginative literature provides fictional frameworks that almost hermetically seal-off certain issues, character, and themes in such a way that reader are better able to understand some of the important elements in life without being distracted.

Thank you. I appreciate your insights and the precision with which your answers give verbal expression to them!!

Jim Drummond ,

You are welcome. I hope that you are able to locate the article on Erich Auerbach's landmark book of literary criticism.

The Modern Language Association is probably the largest and most academically diverse organization of its type, i.e., dedication to the study of language and literature, in the world.

Perhaps the American Association for the Advancement of Science would be considered its counterpart.

I do not know what the comparable organization in the social sciences might be, maybe the organization I often see mentioned as a manual of style for journal articles in the social sciences, which is an American psychology association.

With best wishes for your research!

Dear Colleagues. Thank you for your insightful and inspiring comments.

Do you think the statement is true - the need for figurative literature ON AVERAGE is inversely proportional to the social activity of the reader?

With all my respects Vladimir, I don't think that the need is proportional to the social activity of the reader. No. Everybody needs imaginative literature, including politicians, economists, physicists, you name it. Clarity of vision can only emerge from reading a poem aloud or reading a novel, watching a film in a cinema theatre, etc...

Dear Fouad Mami, "inversely proportional"

Vladimir Rotkin ,

I thank you very much for participating in this discussion. Your answer raises a very subtle issue concerning the relationship between the need for imaginative literature and the "social activity of the reader." Your perspective focuses on the substantive content available in imaginative literature, as opposed to the language and form of imaginative literature.

On the positive side, I agree with your perspective that imaginative literature provides insight into human society. You suggest that participation in "social activity" can provide the same sort of insight, and therefore, imaginative literature fills an unmet need for people who do not have a high level of participation in "social activity," if I have understood you correctly. In other words, you expressed the opinion that reading imaginative literature is needed by people with a low level of social activity, but not needed so much by people who have a high level of participation in social activity.

You then clarify by emphasizing that the need for imaginative literature is "inversely proportional" to the amount of "social activity."

One response is that imaginative literature is not, in and of itself, a "social activity," but, instead, a linguistic and literary activity. In other words, the substantive content is important, and, at the same time and with the same intensity, the form and language are equally constituent influences which are activated during the process of reading imaginative literature.

Thus, imaginative literature offers an experience of literary form and language that are not available in participation in social activity.

That is my main point, although other answers are certainly possible.

I nonetheless thank you very much for your answers!

With best regards.

Dear Nancy Ann Watanabe. I must say that the opinion I have expressed is not mine. My habit of mathematical modelling involves considering the influence of individual factors, in multivariate dependencies. Out of habit, I identified the "social activity" factor. Nevertheless ... I have the experience of a long stay under a totalitarian regime. It is difficult for a normal person to imagine how factor influences are distorted there. Reading replaces the deficit of social interaction, regardless of its inherent value. This is a social little-factor experiment, in its purest form.

After the disappearance of this regime, reading became an order of magnitude less.

Vladimir Rotkin ,

Thank you for your kind reply. I am inexperienced in social media, and I joined Research Gate during the 2019-2020 academic year motivated by my interest in science. I am having a few problems in communicating with experienced social media participants because of my academic conditioning, specifically the requirement that the source of an idea be stated; otherwise, the expectation is that the idea expressed belongs to the person who articulates it. I sincerely apologize.

I think that I now understand that your answer is a result of your own experience living under a totalitarian regime. It seems that under such adverse conditions, reading imaginative literature provides a favorable distraction from the pain and suffering caused by the political situation. And then, when the stressful conditions were removed, the motivation to read was proportionately lessened.

I appreciate very much your perspective. Although I have studied in other countries, my knowledge of world cultures has been limited, and this is another reason why I am glad that I decided to join Research Gate, which encourages scientists from all parts of the world to participate.

I look forward to your reply if time permits. Best wishes in your research, too.

Article The value and impact of reading imaginative literature

Dear Nancy.

Your lyrics show you as an experienced and deep professional in the field of literature. It is difficult to expect the corresponding level in online discussions with the participation of amateurs. However, it is a very useful discourse, primarily for non-professional participants. Sometimes a professional can come across interesting information, even outside the academic discussion.

A few words about literature in Soviet Russia. There was a cult of literature. Russian, Soviet classics, excellent translations of the best foreign literature - all this was published in gigantic editions, was in free libraries and was sold in stores almost free of charge. Learning foreign languages ​​was disgusting (this can be seen from my texts), there was no incentive to study, the originals were almost never published. Book policy was very effective, but in essence, it was a grandiose "simulacrum" that instantly collapsed with the disappearance of the regime.

Literature of quality both reflects a human situation or situations and implicitly enables us to see it, be stimulated by it, react to it emotionally and intellectually and thus both to enjoy the presentation and to "grow" as a result, in terms of understanding of both art and life. So for a developing human (and none of us are too old to learn, I realise at 80), it is very much worth our time. In my own life I have found it essential - but I suppose I sensed that as particularly true for my personally as otherwise I would not have studied English literature and become a professor in the subject. (I am attached to Flinders University, though retired. You can look me up there, and see - and read - a number of my publications; go to Joost Daalder at The Flinders Academic Commons.

Abdul Kuddus ,

Thank you very much for the link on "The value and impact of reading imaginative literature," which is actually more of a sociological study that surveys the general reading public in England who were asked about why they like to go to the public library to check out reading materials, including novels, poems, plays, and so forth. At first glimpse, this link appears to obviate the need for any further replies to the discussion question; however, that is not the case! Why, for instance, do you think that reading imaginative literature is important? I should add that one of the reasons for asking this question on Research Gate is to elicit replies from members of the scientifically oriented community. It may well be that the vast majority of scientists do not have time to read works of imaginative literature, and the only way to find out is to post this sort of a question.

I am grateful for your response!

With best regards and wishes.

Thank you for the post. Though I am not an expert on the issue but still going through each comments and really felt fascinated by a new arena of informations shared.

Vladimir Rotkin ,

I appreciate your answer; however, I am tending to disagree that Research Gate respondents might be "amateurs" because my two years of experience as a Research Gate member is that everybody else is a "professional" while I am an "amateur"! Although I have professional experience as a specialist in the humanities, I was motivated to join Research Gate because I wanted to cultivate a more scientific approach in conducting my research in comparative studies involving both imaginative literary works and the work of scientists. Currently, I am trying to formulate a new discussion question in which I am juxtaposing the notion that poetry precedes science. For example, my hypothetical assumption is that the most enduring scientists have achieved stature that may be rooted in the human faculty known as "imagination." This hypothesis might provide a clue as to why, to name a famous name, Albert Einstein thought up the idea of relativity, but also, why he is probably the most frequently criticized scientist today. He received the Nobel Award in 1921 or so for his discovery of the photoelectric effect, but, unlike Isaac Newton, he was not immediately able to furnish equations to support his theory. In other words, his conceptualization preceded his actual discovery. Furthermore, Einstein's biography (see, for example, Abraham Pais's biography of Einstein) shows that Einstein was an accomplished poet. Yet, this very fact, in the minds of his detractors, contributes to the notion that relativity, in particular, his General Theory of Relativity, is inadequate to account for astrophysical phenomena revealed to view after his death by the Hubble telescope. Einstein endures nonetheless because of the strictures of the scientific methodology, which currently lays emphasis on observation and experimentation. Einstein shows strength in this area because his ideas have enabled technologists to be successful in launching missions to probe and / or orbit the Moon, Mars, Saturn, and also to enable scientists and technologists to use their knowledge of Newton's laws to travel vicariously throughout the Solar System, sometimes saving lots of time by using celestial mechanics to use one planet to bounce off of so as to reach another planet analogous to the way pocketing and caroming are used in an ordinary game of billiards ! . . . . . I guess you are right, after all!

Best regards.

Joost Daalder ,

Thank you for replying and congratulations to you, too!

Best wishes with your current research project(s).

Sumanta Chakraborty ,

I appreciate your reply. I am pleased to know that this discussion question is new to your world of thought. I hope that the idea of reading a short work of fiction, poetry, drama, expository prose, or even a film or an editorial in a newspaper or an article in a magazine, will be of some small boost to you in your work as a scientist. Most people think of reading imaginative works of literature as entertainment and a leisure-time activity. As indicated above, I am hypothesizing that the human faculty of "imagination" may well be a crucial component in the human endeavor to perform scientific research.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.854.4622&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Sura Aldewachi ,

Thank you for participating in this discussion thread. I appreciate that you are contributing a relevant link. But I also would like to emphasize that I am interested in what one or two reasons you might have, if you think that reading imaginative literature is important.

I should perhaps have mentioned that I am not doing any research project on this topic. Nor do I have one in mind. Perhaps you are writing a paper on this topic.

My purpose in asking this question is more to fulfill the Research Gate aim to provide scientific researchers with a social media website for the discussion of topics of mutual interests.

Perhaps another Research Gate member is currently planning to do a research project on the topic "Why is reading imaginative literature important?" On their behalf, I thank you for contributing an article that will serve very nicely as a quotable source for a methodologically scientific chapter, article, or even a conference paper.

Therefore, once again, I would like to thank you for your kind participation and thoughtfulness.

Best regards.

I agree with Janusz Pudykiewicz

A fascinating and worthwhile discussion. Wish I had more time. I often wonder about the importance of the human imagination and its role in education -- how important is literature (imaginative works) alongside science in developing our minds, re: Joseph Brodsky, the Russian poet, I think it was, said he often wondered if the 20th century would have been less violent had the leaders of the nations involved in the two greatest tragedies (among others, alas so many) been better readers. Great poets are essential. All literature is, I think. Especially the various fiction forms. Narrative is the life-blood of the human race, is my personal feeling, but it relies on what is essentially our worst and best gift -- our imaginations. Derek Walcott credited Brodsky with teaching him how to really think, seriously, at around age 30 if I recall correctly. Literature and science really demand the best of our minds. But far too many in the world see that as nonsense. And that is tragic. It's a very difficult time to be a professor in the humanities and sciences today -- I speak for myself. I thank you all for this exchange. Gives me hope.

'The emotions are what makes life interesting, and what makes us feel it important. From this point of view they are the most valuable element in human existence.' Bertrand Russell 'An Outline of Philosophy. Imaginative literature describes human emotions therefore it is essential in obtaining a meaningful education.

It is a necessity if we are to grasp the nature of the world and what it is and what humans are. Reading umpteen papers and books on psychology, lived psychology can be discovered in D.H. Lawrence in which feelings, interactions and minute periods of thought are connected both immediately and historically. Love we find between husband and wife, son/daughter and parent is expressed in minutia and needs to be understood within spontaneity not analysis.

Wendy Wright, subliminal is the right word. Lawrence describes how interactions between people actually works.

Psychological paradigms come from discrete modes of behaviour that are focused on and ,made universal. Each then creates a system and a set of predictions. Although Lawrence was alive to underlying currents of feeling and thoughts, he could not have constructed a theory without perhaps losing the deeper, intuitive understanding he possessed.

L'imaginaire développe la créativité chez les apprenants. La créativité est le moteur du changement. La littérature de l'imaginaire est un précieux outil pédagogique.

How do we come to know any human group if not thanks to their stories?

Kawthar Ayed ,

Merci bien pour votre réponse. J’espère que vous soyez d’accord avec la traduction suivante. / Thank you very much for your answer. I do hope that you will agree with my translation (see below).

Kawthar Ayed added a reply one day ago, on February 23, 2021, as follows:

"L'imaginaire développe la créativité chez les apprenants. La créativité est le moteur du changement. La littérature de l'imaginaire est un précieux outil pédagogique."

Here is my translation from French to English: The human faculty of imagination helps to develop creativity in those who learn how to utilize it properly. Creativity is the engine of significant change. Imaginative literature is a precious tool which may be used in facilitating the teaching and learning process.

I believe all literary genres are imaginative in a way or another.

Zied Ben Amor ,

Thank you very much for your answer to my discussion question. I agree with what you say ("I believe all literary genres are imaginative in [one] way or another.") With my best regards for continued success in your scientific research. And thanks again!

Reading imaginative literature can take you into a parallel universe. Check out this PowerPoint about "Names and Naming in the Harry Potter Books":

L'imagination est la force créatrice qui fait évoluer le monde. La littérature imaginative développe l'imaginaire et par conséquent la créativité. L'enseigner est certes important à mon avis.

Because reality is boring and monotonous, it opens horizons and broadens visions.