The Rational Imagination: How People Create Alternatives to Reality
Categories: Science & Math
Cognitive scientist Ruth Byrne explores counterfactual thinking, the way people imagine how things could have turned out differently. Drawing on experiments, she shows that people create these "if only" alternatives in systematic ways guided by the same principles as rational thought. Byrne examines how we think about actions, obligations, causes and time, and argues that imagination and reason are closely linked.
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- Shane Parrish: “The Rational Imagination: How People Create Alternatives to Reality by Ruth Byrne. Explores one avenue of imagination, specfically, the creation of counterfactual alternatives to reality, and claims that imaginative thoughts are guided by the same principles that underlie rational thoughts.”