Can imagination be learned?

[Gryphon]

I'm curious about this concept, because imagination is one of the most crucial aspects about being a writer. Without the ability to imagine oneself in a parallel world with its own rules, customs, and people, it would be impossible to write a good book no matter how many words one knows. Either you couldn't write a book at all, or it's going to have more stuff taken from other media then original content.

I think of myself as a very imaginative person. The book I'm writing currently is pretty expansive, and pretty original for what it is. I do add in some things from other media, but its usually just to match a specific tone instead of taking specific scenes and repeating them one by one. As a kid, I've always imagined myself in the world of the TV shows I've watched, creating new plot points based off of what I would do, and how the characters would bounce off my character.

Then I had a discussion with someone a few weeks ago, where they told me that no matter what they did, they just couldn't imagine well. Here's a test.

Close your eyes and think of an apple. What do you see. Can you see an apple, or is it a blank void.

If the apple is there, then can you tell me major details about it? Is the apple red, green, yellow, or some strange color. How does light bounce of the surface of the apple?

Touch the apple in your mind. How does it feel? Bite into it. What does it taste like? Did your bite go through smooth, or did your teeth catch on the roughness of the fruit?

Depending on how many answers you can give, and how far you can detail the apple, will depend on the amount you can imagine scenarios. Granted, the apple test is easy since its not really coming up with original stuff, and not even stuff not applicable to our reality, but if you can describe even the minute details of an apple, I'd say you could imagine a great deal of things.

Thats where the interesting part comes in. The person I was talking to said they couldn't even past the first step. They couldn't imagine the apple. They can answer the question using the memory of them eating an apple a day prior, but they can't imagine a fake apple or describe them eating the fake apple.

Which brings up the question? Can imagination be taught? Would they be able to see an apple in their mind one day, or is the level of imagination one has depend from the day we are born? Would it be possible for someone to write a somewhat original story if they can't imagine their story within their minds by using the memory previous stories they've read? I'm genuinely curious about this.

 

[Cipiteca396]

This question is impossible to answer- at least in my mind. A person can't know how other people imagine things. It's impossible for me to imagine someone who can't imagine things, ironic as that is.

I will say that you might be overestimating the value of 'imagination' in writing. The advice 'write what you know' is popular for a reason. You don't need to create an original idea as long as you can combine old ideas in interesting ways. To me, that's imagination. Even your friend can probably add two and two, and that's all that writing requires. It's just that what's getting added together are concepts, not numbers. People who think they have original ideas are just taking that addition for granted.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Imagination is in every person and can be learned by every person. Though each person may find that their imagination is different than each and every person. This makes it so that each person can imagine something different so that we are not the same. We may have been created from the same soil but we are all different in one way or another. No one person will feel anything the same as you but it may be close as we are all similar. That said, we are all different, yet, the same. We all desire the same things despite having different goals. We are all the same and different at the same time. Do as you wish but never forget who you can be. Be better.

 

[HelloHound]

creativity is a muscle

 

[Kenjona]

It can be faked.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I forget how many, I think it's 1 in 6, but you know that running commentary you have in your head? yeah, some people don't have that.
Imagination is just a variation of empathy. The ability to put yourself in a different mindset with different rules. Visualization isn't imagination, but it helps.

Can it be taught? Of course. Please tell me a 6 month old baby capable of writing Harry Potter Slash Fiction. We all LEARN. Some people can learn more than others.

 

[georgelee5786]

I think imagination can be taught, but only so much. Someone who learned how to imagine won't be as good at visualizing as someone who has had a good imagination day one.

I forget how many, I think it's 1 in 6, but you know that running commentary you have in your head? yeah, some people don't have that.

You mean some people dont have a play-by-play for their life? Weird...

 

[DarkeReises]

I think imagination can be taught, but only so much. Someone who learned how to imagine won't be as good at visualizing as someone who has had a good imagination day one.

You mean some people dont have a play-by-play for their life? Weird...

Abstract thought vs inner narration is such a mind-boggling subject. So is a lot of things to do with how people perceive things and relative stuff between people. Like colors. I have an inner narration but I can kinda think abstractly sometimes. Weird shit. Anyways.

 

[Minx]

I can imagine eating apple in my head?!

 

[CupcakeNinja]

This question is impossible to answer- at least in my mind. A person can't know how other people imagine things. It's impossible for me to imagine someone who can't imagine things, ironic as that is.

I can imagine it, i simply dpnt understand how it works.
Some people dont have inner narratives, for example.

Like, if i say "apple" you would imagine an apple, yes? A picture would pop into your head. Something right red, maybe, or perhaps you are more inclined to a green apple or a yellow. Regardless.

Some people, however, lack that level of imagination. Maybe the color is missing. Maybe the shape. Perhaps they only think of it as the written form "apple" and not the image. Maybe they simply imagine the taste. Im not sure. But these people exist.

Not having an inner narrative seems utterly foreign as a concept to those who think like you and I, but its a reality. I believe whereas we can imagine the taste, color and shape, others can only think of one aspect.

So yeah. Imagination cant be learned. Its inborn. The degree to which you are imaginative varies between people, but if you are not born without it then you can never learn it. The capacity is simply not within you. That doesnt mean you are empty minded, like a vegetable, but that how you function is entirely different from how others do.

Im not Brandon Sanderson. Im not motivated enough to create the worlds he can. But its not like i cant have some fun thoughts.

As i said, everyone has a certain degree of imagination

 

[RedHunter2296]

Yes you can learn, and very easily in fact, it's called learning. The more you learn, the more you can imagine, ask what would happen if such a thing happened, or discover. It is this ability that has taken man to the moon and back.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Yes you can learn, and very easily in fact, it's called learning. The more you learn, the more you can imagine, ask what would happen if such a thing happened, or discover. It is this ability that has taken man to the moon and back.

Try teaching string theory to a chipmunk. Not everone has the same capacity for learning. Some concepts simply cant be taught to those without the capability to understand them

 

[Dieter]

You're mixing up imagination with creativity, and also with the ability for vivid mental imagery: Hyperphantasia.
If you're interested in these topics then you can read 'Genius: The Natural History of Creativity by Hans Jürgen Eysenck'. It answers your question.
And also watch this video, which if you're interested in the topic of creativity, will be an enlightening one hour of your life.

I'm tired so I can't think straight right now, but on a point not talked in the two resources I'd like to share too: is that you need an IQ of more than 84 to be creative, and creativity sees a marked improvement until an IQ of 120, after which it diminishes substantially. (LI here refers to Latent Inhibition, which is the inhibitory mechanism that screens out stimuli previously experienced as irrelevant).

 

[CupcakeNinja]

You're mixing up imagination with creativity, and also with the ability for vivid mental imagery: Hyperphantasia.
If you're interested in these topics then you can read 'Genius: The Natural History of Creativity by Hans Jürgen Eysenck'. It answers your question.
And also watch this video, which if you're interested in the topic of creativity, will be an enlightening one hour of your life.

I'm tired so I can't think straight right now, but on a point not talked in the two resources I'd like to share too: is that you need an IQ of more than 84 to be creative, and creativity sees a marked improvement until an IQ of 120, after which it diminishes substantially. (LI here refers to Latent Inhibition, which is the inhibitory mechanism that screens out stimuli previously experienced as irrelevant).
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How creative can you be without the ability to imagine? Children are some of the most imaginative people on the planet. They dont ask HOW something can be done, they just imagine it so. Because unlike adults, they have no concept of physical limitations.

But that doesnt mean they CAN create the things they imagine. I can imagine a flying pig, doesnt mean i can create one. Is it possible? Perhaps. Science has advanced far enough to where its not an impossibility.

Anyway, itw two sides of the same coin. Its meaningless to really distinguish them entirely. One drives the other

 

[Dieter]

How creative can you be without the ability to imagine? Children are some of the most imaginative people on the planet. They dont ask HOW something can be done, they just imagine it so. Because unlike adults, they have no concept of physical limitations.

But that doesnt mean they CAN create the things they imagine. I can imagine a flying pig, doesnt mean i can create one. Is it possible? Perhaps. Science has advanced far enough to where its not an impossibility.

Anyway, itw two sides of the same coin. Its meaningless to really distinguish them entirely. One drives the other

I agree with you and I don't deny what you're saying, so I don't see what your point is.
I only say that imagination and creativity are different labels that do not refer to the same thing. Whether they co-exist or not (which they do), does not invalidate that. And context determining whether such distinctions are necessary or not—The distinction is meaningless, I suppose, for your purposes; but for the purposes of studying how new ideas are engendered in consciousness, these distinctions become vital.

 

[TotallyHuman]

But that doesnt mean they CAN create the things they imagine. I can imagine a flying pig, doesnt mean i can create one. Is it possible? Perhaps. Science has advanced far enough to where its not an impossibility

Press X to doubt

 

[HellerFeed]

Can imagination be learned?​

Do you mean Stable Diffusion?

 

[FaustVoncleave]

I'm curious about this concept, because imagination is one of the most crucial aspects about being a writer. Without the ability to imagine oneself in a parallel world with its own rules, customs, and people, it would be impossible to write a good book no matter how many words one knows. Either you couldn't write a book at all, or it's going to have more stuff taken from other media then original content.

I think of myself as a very imaginative person. The book I'm writing currently is pretty expansive, and pretty original for what it is. I do add in some things from other media, but its usually just to match a specific tone instead of taking specific scenes and repeating them one by one. As a kid, I've always imagined myself in the world of the TV shows I've watched, creating new plot points based off of what I would do, and how the characters would bounce off my character.

Then I had a discussion with someone a few weeks ago, where they told me that no matter what they did, they just couldn't imagine well. Here's a test.

Close your eyes and think of an apple. What do you see. Can you see an apple, or is it a blank void.

If the apple is there, then can you tell me major details about it? Is the apple red, green, yellow, or some strange color. How does light bounce of the surface of the apple?

Touch the apple in your mind. How does it feel? Bite into it. What does it taste like? Did your bite go through smooth, or did your teeth catch on the roughness of the fruit?

Depending on how many answers you can give, and how far you can detail the apple, will depend on the amount you can imagine scenarios. Granted, the apple test is easy since its not really coming up with original stuff, and not even stuff not applicable to our reality, but if you can describe even the minute details of an apple, I'd say you could imagine a great deal of things.

Thats where the interesting part comes in. The person I was talking to said they couldn't even past the first step. They couldn't imagine the apple. They can answer the question using the memory of them eating an apple a day prior, but they can't imagine a fake apple or describe them eating the fake apple.

Which brings up the question? Can imagination be taught? Would they be able to see an apple in their mind one day, or is the level of imagination one has depend from the day we are born? Would it be possible for someone to write a somewhat original story if they can't imagine their story within their minds by using the memory previous stories they've read? I'm genuinely curious about this.

I think it can be learned to an extent. In my case, my parents couldn't always pick me up from school in preschool and elementary. There were times when I was simply sitting at the pick up spot for hours. A lot of times I'd be the only one there, and with nothing else to do I started daydreaming, and as the days went by my daydreams got more and more outlandish. I think my imagination probably wouldn't be as good as it is without those experiences.

 

[Zirrboy]

As far as I see it, creativity is primarily about the level of abstraction and recombination from source material.
Changing the hand the apple is picked up by in a scene otherwise only reproduced is creative effort, an idea unlike anything you've seen before will still lean on a mash of experiences, even if they're granular to the point you don't recognize them.

I'm shit at imagination in the way you describe it, but would still say that my ideas in abstract can hold a candle to those of people much, much better than me at vivid writing. Imagining things that happen, how they look and how the characters feel about and express them are abilities I think don't necessarily come hand in hand.

By my model the question would be whether meaningful processing of creative stimuli can be trained.
If you accept using "crutches" (concept boards and scene outlines for me), I'd say you can at least get decent. But again, this only my own impression about myself.

 

[Omnifarious]

Without the ability to imagine oneself in a parallel world with its own rules, customs, and people, it would be impossible to write a good book no matter how many words one knows.

Imagine having Aphantasia and being a writer...
like...Mark Lawrence...
Yes.. imagine.. but you cant, because you have aphantasia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphantasia