Is Willingness to Suspend One's Sense of Reality a Necessary Aspect of Gaining Knowledge?

Ethics

100

Claim: Imagination is necessary in absorbing new knowledge. Support this claim with a reference in terms of ethics.

Reference: Utilitarian ethics requires one to use their imagination to anticipate the outcome of an action, in an effort to benefit the majority.

200

Counterclaim: Imagination clouds understanding of new knowledge. Support this counterclaim with a reference to ethics.  

Reference: In deontological ethics, one makes decisions based on their moral intentions, regardless of the outcome. Therefore, using imagination deviates one from one's prior sense of right and wrong. 

Math

100

Imagination is necessary in absorbing new knowledge. Support this claim with a reference in terms of math.

Reference: There is no way to understand infinite numbers such as pi through just logic and reasoning. One must utilize their imagination to comprehend intangible concepts such as pi.

200

Counterclaim: Imagination clouds understanding of new knowledge. Support this counterclaim with a reference to math.

Reference: There are many aspects of math, such as the quadratic formula, that can be proven based on logic alone. Using imagination would lead to more than one conclusion, resulting in mathematical uncertainty.

Art

100

Claim: Imagination is necessary in absorbing new knowledge. Support this claim with a reference in terms of art.

Reference: The intrigue of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, arises from people using their imagination to produce theories as to the intention of the painting. This causes people to turn what Da Vinci intended to be shared knowledge into personal knowledge.

200

Counterclaim: Imagination clouds understanding of new knowledge. Support this counterclaim with a reference to art.

Reference: If art is analyzed with too much imagination, one risks deviating from the artist's intended meaning. For example, with Da Vinci's Last Supper, imagination has led people to form many conspiracy theories.