Fiction and Fantasy take us to where New Knowledge is Found →

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Albert Einstein said: “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I conclude that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”

This thought suggests why he felt this way: “He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.”

Neil Gaiman said: “Fiction has two uses. Firstly, it’s a gateway drug to reading. The drive to know what happens next, to want to turn the page, the need to keep going, even if it’s hard because someone’s in trouble and you have to know how it’s all going to end … that’s a genuine drive. And it forces you to learn new words, think new thoughts, and keep going. To discover that reading per se is pleasurable. Once you learn that, you’re on the road to reading everything”. Gaiman’s article “Why our future depends on libraries, reading, and daydreaming” has much to say about the importance of fiction.”

So how do we find new knowledge from imagined thoughts? Do those new thoughts need a foundation to pull from a more extensive knowledge base?

Both Gaiman and Einstein suggest that fantasy and fiction enable them to go beyond just absorbing the positive expertise they have to beyond where new knowledge is added. This is indicated as reason enough to enjoy those genres and add the pure joy of getting out of our day-to-day world and enjoying the trip. That may be where new knowledge lives. We have to be free from what is blocking our vision. It seems worth it, even if it is just an escape and nothing new occurs.