Idea: One function of imagination is to help us get into a particular (kind of) attitude.
Imagination is important — even fundamental — to human life. But it seems to have no connection to reality. How can something unreal be so important?
This is one of the things that’s been bugging me about imagination lately.
But what if you dislike someone, even though you should be kind to them? You could get yourself into a more accepting or positive attitude toward them by imagining them doing likable, sympathetic, or kind things.
By imagining something that isn’t necessarily true, you could achieve something that is real and good: the right (kind of) attitude. Maybe that’s one reason imagination is so important.
