The human imagination remains one of the last uncharted terrains of the mind. This accessible and original monograph explores a central aspect of the imagination, the creation of counterfactual alternatives to reality, and claims that imaginative thoughts are guided by the same principles that underlie rational thoughts. Research has shown that rational thought is more imaginative than cognitive scientists had supposed; in The Rational Imagination, Ruth Byrne argues that imaginative thought is more rational than scientists have imagined. People often create alternatives to reality and imagine how events might have turned out "if only" something had been different. Byrne explores the "fault lines" of reality, the aspects of reality that are more readily changed in imaginative thoughts. She finds that our tendencies to imagine alternatives to actions, controllable events, socially unacceptable actions, causal and enabling relations, and events that come last in a temporal sequence provide clues to the cognitive processes upon which the counterfactual imagination depends. The explanation of these processes, Byrne argues, rests on the idea that imaginative thought and rational thought have much in common.

This small book is the first comprehensive essay to place archetypal psychology within a major tradition of modern thought-the tradition of mythical thinking-and to recognize imagination as the primal force and basic reality of human life. By drawing upon the writings of four twentieth-century thinkers, Roberts Avens clarifies the post-Jungian direction of psychology as it moves toward poetic and polytheistic imagination. He then compares the radical achievements of this direction in resolving the 'ego-question' with the methods and ideas of the East: Buddhism, Tantrism, Zen, and Vedanta. Avens's grasp of understanding, easy familiarity with his subject, and refined insights together make this book an introductory text and an advance into new territory.

An unabridged edition, to include: One Cause -- How the Law Works -- Conscious Use of the Law Choice - Free Will -- Desire -- Be Observant -- Appearances -- Inner Conversations -- Revision -- States of Consciousness -- The Play -- Your Real Purpose -- Case Histories

Nineteenth-century chemists were faced with a particular problem: how to depict the atoms and molecules that are beyond the direct reach of our bodily senses. In visualizing this microworld, these scientists were the first to move beyond high-level philosophical speculations regarding the unseen. In Image and Reality, Alan Rocke focuses on the community of organic chemists in Germany to provide the basis for a fuller understanding of the nature of scientific creativity. Arguing that visual mental images regularly assisted many of these scientists in thinking through old problems and new possibilities, Rocke uses a variety of sources, including private correspondence, diagrams and illustrations, scientific papers, and public statements, to investigate their ability to not only imagine the invisibly tiny atoms and molecules upon which they operated daily, but to build detailed and empirically based pictures of how all of the atoms in complicated molecules were interconnected. These portrayals of “chemical structures,” both as mental images and as paper tools, gradually became an accepted part of science during these years and are now regarded as one of the central defining features of chemistry. In telling this fascinating story in a manner accessible to the lay reader, Rocke also suggests that imagistic thinking is often at the heart of creative thinking in all fields. Image and Reality is the first book in the Synthesis series, a series in the history of chemistry, broadly construed, edited by Angela N. H. Creager, John E. Lesch, Stuart W. Leslie, Lawrence M. Principe, Alan Rocke, E.C. Spary, and Audra J. Wolfe, in partnership with the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Physics: Imagination and Reality introduces the reader to major ideas and the conceptual structure of modern physics, by tracing its development from the introduction of fields into physics by Faraday and Maxwell in the last century. Because the approach is historical, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the subjects. It should appeal to anyone interested in a basic understanding of the contemporary physicists view of the physical world. It avoids all but the simplest mathematics and presents ideas and concepts in everyday language.Physics: Imagination and Reality attempts to provide educated citizens with an understanding of contemporary physics and, at the same time, shows that its ideas have a grandeur, a challenge to the imagination and an aesthetic appeal which merit its recognition as an integral part of our culture.

Children are widely celebrated for their imaginations, but developmental research on this topic has often been fragmented or narrowly focused on fantasy. However, there is growing appreciation for the role that imagination plays in cognitive and emotional development, as well as its link with children's understanding of the real world. With their imaginations, children mentally transcend time, place, and/or circumstance to think about what might have been, plan and anticipate the future, create fictional relationships and worlds, and consider alternatives to the actual experiences of their lives. The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Imagination provides a comprehensive overview of this broad new perspective by bringing together leading researchers whose findings are moving the study of imagination from the margins of mainstream psychology to a central role in current efforts to understand human thought. The topics covered include fantasy-reality distinctions, pretend play, magical thinking, narrative, anthropomorphism, counterfactual reasoning, mental time travel, creativity, paracosms, imaginary companions, imagination in non-human animals, the evolution of imagination, autism, dissociation, and the capacity to derive real life resilience from imaginative experiences. Many of the chapters include discussions of the educational, clinical, and legal implications of the research findings and special attention is given to suggestions for future research.

New York Times Best-selling Author Bob Proctor praises Imagination Creates Reality, "My friend Daniel Lusko is a director in Hollywood, and his life is proof his imagination is well exercised. Daniel's book does an excellent job of showing us how to fire up our imagination and channel it's magnificent creative power toward the good we desire. This book should be kept on hand and reviewed again and again. It is absolutely power-packed with unfailing principles and experiences of the imagination that will ignite your mind and change your life." Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive for Prince Charles of Wales at Buckingham Palace says, "Imagination Creates Reality is a truly inspiring read that really provokes the reader to think and believe in a different and creative way. As an experienced social sector Chief Executive I am always looking for different ways to both inspire colleagues and also to encourage young people to believe that they can change the world for the better. I will be strongly recommending this book to all of them as it will help them stretch their imagination way beyond the artificial boundaries we can all set up." The power of the imagination is a phrase often relevant to only a select few who are considered creative people. Why are some people creative and others are not? Is the imagination something that is available only to inventors and artists? There is so much more to the imagination that is relevant to every single person on the planet, and whether consciously or unconsciously, something that each one of us are influenced by every single moment of our lives. With this book, my aim is to expand the awareness and skill of the reader's extraordinary power to use their imagination to create the life of their dreams that all of mankind will benefit from. -Daniel Lusko