In: Biology
In Brain Evolution, George F. Striedter writes “Historical explanations are really predictions in hindsight: given what we know, could we have predicted what actually came to pass? If the answer is affirmative, then we have explained the past.” Do you agree? Is being able to predict what actually came to pass the criterion for understanding historical events?
Constructive memory and simulation of future experiences. The
current definition of imagination is too simple and ambiguous, and
hinders the progress of evolutionary and developmental
neuroscience. This definition did not change for thousands of years
and left a lot of great thinkers confused about subjective mental
processes in humans and animals. If there is one single thing that
distinguishes humans from other life-forms, living or extinct,
it
is the capacity for symbolic thought: the ability to generate
complex mental symbols and to manipulate them into new
combinations. This is the very foundation of imagination and
creativity of the unique ability of humans to create a world in the
mind.