Title: Imagination
Headings: 
Ways of Knowing: IMAGINATION
Possible essay questions:
Imagination
'I have a dream.'
Imagine...
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Too little imagination?
Too much imagination?

Content: The ideologies as well as the nightmare scenarios which some political leaders present us, clearly draw on imagination (whether or not these visions are based on reality). They shape what we know and how we live our lives. The apocalyptic futures of religious text draw on imagination as well. Imagination also plays an important role in understanding others, as illustrated before through the example of empathy. Imagination is more than conjuring a mental picture of something. It also means 'imagining that'. The latter partly explains the political role of imagination in sociological advances as well as socio-political ideals and paradigm shifts. The importance of imagination as a way of knowing is highlighted by the mental conditions which distort one's imagination, such as schizophrenia and severe autism. Finally, imagination plays a substantial role in theory creation and the invention of models. The latter could lead to some interesting knowledge questions, as questions on models, prediction and theory are central within the TOK course.