Chapter Two
WHAT IS IMAGINATION?
In order to harness imagination, we first need to understand what it is: to define it and what it can do for us, and to understand how it works.
The Power of Imagination
We can most clearly see what imagination is by comparing humans and other animals. An animal like a cow or a fish lives in the realm of what is. A goldfish works with just what is in front of it; it has no standpoint to reflect on its situation.1 It can’t create a mental model of a different, better kind of fish tank more aligned with its aspirations to flourish as a goldfish.
Humans, in contrast, can explore the realm of what is not. A hunter-gatherer could create a mental model of a better kind of basket or what the hunt might be like ...
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