📘 Part 3: Imagination

This episode's vocabulary

Manipulate figures in your head (verb phrase) – to mentally move or control shapes or numbers. → In geometry, you have to manipulate figures in your head, which definitely takes some imagination.

Imagination development (noun phrase) – the process of improving one's ability to imagine. → Art and drama classes are crucial for a child's imagination development.

Bounded by (phrasal verb) – to be limited or restricted by something. → Adults' imaginations can be bounded by their experiences and knowledge of the world.

Fixed notions (noun phrase) – rigid or unchangeable ideas or beliefs. → Experience can lead to some pretty fixed notions of how things should be done.

Go out the window (idiom) – to be completely discarded or forgotten. → It's not like your imagination just goes completely out the window when you grow up.

Boxed in (phrasal verb) – confined or restricted; prevented from being creative or free. → Children's imaginations are less boxed in by the rules that adults learn as they get older.

Aphantasia (noun) – a medical condition characterized by the inability to voluntarily create mental images in one's mind. → Some people find it hard to imagine things because they suffer from aphantasia.

Mind's eye (idiom) – the mental faculty of conceiving ideas or images; the imagination. → When I read a book, I can see the characters clearly in my mind's eye.

Think something up (phrasal verb) – to invent or create something in one's mind. → Children can think up all sorts of fantasy worlds when they play.

Fixed formulas (noun phrase) – established or unchangeable rules or methods for doing something. → Scientists might use fixed formulas, but they still need imagination to hypothesise new ideas.

Sensory experiences (noun phrase) – experiences related to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). → Chefs use their imagination to create unique sensory experiences for their diners.

Choreographer (noun) – a person who creates and arranges dances. → A choreographer needs a lot of imagination to design new and exciting dance routines.

Questions and Answers

Maria: What subjects are helpful for children's imagination?

Rory: Well, I suppose the most obvious ones are things like art and drama, since you have to imagine how things might look and take steps to represent them in different ways. But other subjects also require that. For example, in geometry, you have to manipulate figures in your head, which definitely takes some imagination development to do well.

Maria: What kinds of jobs need imagination?

Rory: Well, I think they all do, really, don't they? Even a barista has to imagine how the coffee will look or think of how they're going to manage their time. And of course, artists have to think about how their various works could look and find materials to accomplish that, if they can. I can't actually think of any jobs that don't need it.

Maria: Do you think imagination is essential for scientists?

Rory: Oh, definitely. I mean, there might be pretty fixed formulas for how various processes are carried out, but at least some imagination will be necessary for thinking about how things will be organized or what alternatives would be suitable if some things are unavailable. So they definitely need this.

Maria: Do you think adults can have lots of imagination?

Rory: I think so, though maybe they're a bit more bounded by their experience and preferences, since those can lead to some pretty fixed notions of how things can or should be done. But we still have to consider various possibilities for how our lives might be and how we can keep them going. So it's not like your imagination just goes completely out the window when you grow up.

Maria: And what about children? Do they have more imagination than adults?

Rory: I think maybe their imaginations are freer and less boxed in by the rules that adults learn as they get older. Yeah, they probably have more freedom of thought compared to adults, I would say.

Maria: And how can people develop their imagination?

Rory: Lots of ways. I think probably the most common one is just by seeing it in action. So you meet people who have very well-developed imaginations and they talk about this, and then you learn how to imagine different things. Alternatively, you might just need to practice it, like when you read a book and you imagine characters, or you can think about drawing different things that you imagine and then refine that. So it's like a physical action, then a mental one.

Maria: For some people, it's difficult to use their imagination. Why do you think?

Rory: Maybe they just haven't had the practice or the exposure to different kinds of imaginative people. And then some people have this thing called aphantasia, where it's a condition where you don't have an imagination or it's extremely limited. That could also be the cause, although I don't think that's a very common thing. I think that's not the case for most people. Most people just haven't had the practice.

Discussion

Maria: Right, dear listener. So the keyword of today's episode is, of course, aphan, what? Aphantasia?

Rory: Aphantasia.

Maria: Aphantasia.

Rory: Aphantasia.

Maria: No, it's not like fantasy. Aphantasia is a neurological variation characterized by the inability to create mental images in the mind's eye. So a person doesn't have imagination.

Rory: Maybe.

Maria: So they can't visualize. They are unable, cognitively, their brain can't visualize. They kind of just their mind goes empty or black. So they don't see images, faces, objects in their head. So instead they use words, facts, logic. So they don't have this images. What was the condition again?

Rory: I think it's called aphantasia. I think that's how it's pronounced.

Maria: Now you're super smart and full of awesome, dear listener, and you can educate the examiner. The examiner might not know what the condition is. So you can say, yeah, some people don't use their imagination because they suffer from...

Rory: aphantasia.

Maria: Yeah. And then when you see the examiner's face, which goes like, "what?" "A for what?" You go, "Yeah, yeah, this neurological disorder when a person is unable to visualize mental images." Ooh la la. That's a band nine piece of knowledge. Yeah, Google it. It's quite interesting. So children's imagination. Children study different subjects at schools, like art, drama, and they have to imagine how things might look. So they imagine things in their mind's eye, in their head. They visualize, they think something up, they picture different things in their head. And then Rory talked about geometry, where he said, Rory...

Rory: You have to manipulate figures in your head.

Maria: Really? In geometry? But you draw stuff in geometry.

Rory: No, you can, yes, but some people can do it in their heads.

Maria: Really? Can you?

Rory: Maybe to a limited extent. We all probably can. When you have to fit two things together, that's using geometry to complete something.

Maria: Oh, I'm so bad at geometry. But I can visualize things. Yeah, we develop our imagination, dear listener. Our imagination could be limited. There are some boundaries perhaps. But it takes some imagination development. You have to do some training. According to Rory Fergus Duncan, something something, all jobs need imagination. And seriously, dear listener, I disagree with Rory's ideas about baristas, people who prepare coffee, who imagine a drink that they are preparing. Oh, come on, have you seen those baristas? Cuz maybe not all of them, but most of them, they just prepare the coffee and just off you go. And the coffee may not be tasty, and they don't even think about coffee.

Rory: Well, let's imagine they have to choose the size of the cup they give you. They're going to have to imagine how much water or how much of the liquid is going to go in there.

Maria: No, they don't have to imagine. They have standards and they know exactly how much water they need. They just push the buttons and yeah.

Rory: Okay then. Maybe they daydream at work to help them cope with the monotony. So they need their imagination for that.

Maria: Yeah. So you see, according to Rory, all jobs require imagination, need imagination. According to Google, imaginative jobs, jobs which require imagination, graphic designers, fashion designers, so all sorts of designers, animators, filmmakers, video game designers, but again, designers, photographers, they build virtual worlds, copywriters, content creators. So creators, designers, filmmakers, brand managers, choreographers. Oh, that's interesting. Choreographers, like choreography, people who design dances, actors, chefs. Oh, there you go. Chefs use imagination to create sensory experiences.

Rory: Ooh. So chefs who prepare food can have imagination, but baristas, people who prepare coffee, do not need imagination.

Maria: Oh, okay, okay, okay. Maybe, maybe a barista in a Michelin restaurant, yes. And I'm very sorry if you are using your imagination and I'm saying all this nonsense that you're not. Yeah, but okay, what's your opinion, dear listener? Seriously? A typical barista in a typical coffee shop, do they use imagination? Again, some people, yes, but most of them... what about doctors? Do they, you come in and the doctor looks at you and imagines, okay, I see.

Rory: Well, they may have to imagine ways to treat things. For example, if you have to amputate someone's limbs, which is a relatively common thing. No amputation is the same as another one. So the doctor performing the surgery has to imagine ways of using the material to save the patient's lives.

Maria: Okay, an interesting example. Amputation is when a doctor cuts off a person's leg or arm, for example. Thank you, Rory, for this lovely example of using doctor's imagination.

Rory: Well, you, I'm sorry.

Maria: It's okay. Okay. Dear listener, are you okay? You're okay. Yes. This is IELTS speaking for success podcast. So you should name specific professions, dear listener, right? Again, you can remember maybe choreographers, filmmakers, content creators. All right?

Rory: Podcasters.

Maria: Podcasters, yes, by the way.

Rory: Our job takes a lot of imagination.

Maria: Absolutely. And you, dear listener, you are also imagining how I look, how Rory looks, right? Because you can hear only our sexy. Can I say sexy on this podcast?

Rory: No.

Maria: No?

Rory: No. You cannot say sexy.

Maria: So, dear listener, you can hear our lovely voices, but you can imagine how beautiful we are. Yeah, Rory Ruri. Ruri. Now you are Ruri. Ruri, Rory Ruri does look handsome. And I'm beautiful. So...

Rory: Oh, Maria, thank you. More lies, please.

Maria: Yeah, well, let's look at you. Oh, your hair is very nice.

Rory: I love that.

Maria: The other ninety percent is horrendous, but your hair looks great.

Rory: No, the other part is always black. Rory wears always black. Black Rory. Right, where were we?

Maria: Imagination.

Rory: Mm-hm.

Maria: Scientists do use their imagination. They use fixed formulas, so something is fixed, but some imagination is necessary for thinking up things. So for visualizing how things will turn out. Adults have a lot of imagination, or you can use an adjective, imaginative, adults could be really imaginative. They can imagine, visualize things, they can picture different things, experiences, everything they want.

Rory: Oh, that's a good point. And you can imagine what your life will be like or how your life will be. So it's important to distinguish between what and how here.

Maria: Same thing.

Rory: Imagine how something will look or what something will look like.

Maria: Rory, you said something, blah blah blah, boxed in. What did you talk about?

Rory: That just means confined to certain ways of doing things.

Maria: Kind of, yeah, your imagination is limited, so you kind of box your imagination in certain restrictions, limitations. Could you give us an example with boxed in comparing adults' imagination to children's?

Rory: Oh, sure. Adults are boxed in just by what they know about how the world works. So, for example, children can imagine that their toys are talking to them, but adults probably would not do this because they know that toys cannot talk to them, like they are real people.

Maria: And that's true. Yeah, children think up all sorts of things, like toys talk to them. Children can imagine houses where there are no houses.

Rory: Okay.

Maria: Lovely. Imagine all the people.

Rory: Oh, thank God, Maria's doing it.

Maria: No, no, no.

Rory: Imagine the episode is over.

Maria: You see? He sang for us. Yay. Yes. John Lennon, dear listener. Imagine is the song of this episode. And what's the keyword?

Rory: What is the keyword?

Maria: Seriously, I can't pronounce it. Aphantasia. Oh, actually Cambridge Online Dictionary has it. Aphantasia. Aphantasia, dear listener. Yeah, medical specialized a condition in which someone is unable to form pictures in their imagination. We'll get back to you in our next episode, all right? Stay with us. Bye.

Rory: Bye.