On The Nature of Imagination

I. Into the Forest

Philosophers of the past have tried to pin down imagination in an attempt to figure out what it truly is. Early thinkers looked to the past for help. The root word of imagination is 'image', so much of the early discussions on the subject revolved around a visual understanding of thinking. Deeply intertwined with dreams, imagination can bring us new images, partly influenced by the outside world and also our own thoughts. But is imagination purely a synthesis of thoughts and images? How much of a role do abstract concepts play in our imaginings? Is there a higher power involved? Is image creation governed by imagination? These are some of the questions I wish to answer.