The author reflects on their journey from technical writing to graduate school in psychotherapy, then to philosophy. Highlighting societal skepticism towards imagination, they argue for its crucial role in shaping better futures. They analyze various philosophers' views on imagination, showing its mischaracterization as inferior to reason. Ultimately, they advocate for a broader understanding, emphasizing how imagination fuels creative potential and transformation, illustrated by their own educational pursuits later in life, culminating in earning a PhD at 60.
We have a cultural bias against imagination, which we treat as an entertaining add-on, a form of escape from an intolerable present.
Yet these philosophers imagine well beyond their own definitions of imagining.
Mercurius, the spirit said to animate the sacred work of alchemy, imagination can be poisonous or healthful, destructive or uplifting.
I graduated in 2023 at age 60, using tuition reimbursement to fulfill my dreams.
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