Does mankind need fantasies to exist?

Answer 1

The Western world is currently going through a sceptical phase which has led to distrust of our old myths. This may not be permanent, but certain beliefs in which people previously had faith do not currently seem to be credible. Meanwhile, phenomena such as urban myths, New Age beliefs and psychotherapeutic approaches to personal problems suggest that we need something akin to a mythology and will invent one in its absence.

I also think there's an answer to the problem of scepticism making faith in these fantasies difficult or impossible for many people, which is to derive morals from the way many now see the world. Think of the Moon. In the past, this has been personified as a deity and various stories have been told about it. Today we believe it to be nothing more than a dead ball of rock. However, seeing the Moon over a landscape teeming with life, such as a cityscape, a meadow, a forest or an ocean, we see the planet we are on under the closest of many lifeless worlds in the Universe, and this reminds us of the preciousness of our planet and the life on it. This is the sort of attitude i think we can use to replace fantasies.

So, my answer to your question is that although we have traditionally relied on fantasies to cope with life and the ways of the world, and we have now lost many of them, the problem is that we have not used the truth of the nature of the Universe to learn lessons about life, and that is what we can do instead.

Answer 2

Biologically we could survive without them, but most likely our civilization would be relatively unchanging over time. Fantasies are ways of visualizing very different environments and situations and have caused tons of progress and inventions. Civilizations move forward technologically and culturally because of fantasies. Einstein had a fantasy about a person traveling at the speed of light and invented the theory of relativity. Someone at Apple had fantasies about the design of the Apple iPod. Engineering, architecture and other fields are heavily dependent on fantasy and the imagination.

Answer 3

The answer may lie in evolutionary, neurological processes. It is part of consciousness to have fantasies where it makes us self-aware of our existence. I gather that some animals in the higher order have some form of fantasies although that is hard to measure. Having fantasies stems from the ability to think abstractly. Do we need them? Probably not, but it does make us human!

Answer 4

To exist, no. to be human, yes. we have desire and therefor we have dreams. we would not be a society, or a civilization, or be sentient without fantasies. it's fantasies and our desire to fulfill them that has driven humanity to it's place today. thats the problem today, we have no desire, not as a society. we need a goal! we need a Dream, not too long ago we had a dream of going to the moon, we got there, we had a dream of equality and we're on our way, but we need a new goal. how about mars, maybe jupiter, how about the milky-way. it doesn't matter we'll get there! it's our dreams, our fantasies that drive us! we would exist, as underdeveloped creatures but our fantasies that elevated us to where we are today.

Answer 5

yes
without fantasies there would be no astronauts or great scientists or inventors(epically them)

to quote Albert Einstein "a drop of imagination is worth more than an ocean ID knowledge"

Answer 6

Plato thought so, in terms of constructive, comforting myths in his "Republic."

Maslow found a clearer level of human spirit operating in successful self-actualizers and Self-realizers.

The physiological structure of subconscious subvocalization processes finds a continuous rescripting of various untoward (per one's expectations) events both during waking and sleeping hours. These rescriptings may be categorized as "fantasies" or "mediationals."

A previous answerer noted that there are truths available for humankind to learn and develop with. These include the truths of Psyche, Soul, as it develops e.g. measurable gamma wave states in Tibetan Buddhist insight meditation, states that are otherwise found in maslowian peak experiences, creativity, and problem-solving.

The division between science and Spirit has largely come to an end during and after the discovery of quantum reality processes in the early 20th century. E.g., http://www.tiller.org http://www.quantumbrain.org http://www.integralscience.org http://www.divinecosmos.com These types of unified field notions indicate there are levels of functioning which are reliably achievable per effort, ability, and training, a la world class tennis and quantum physics theorists.

Some books indicating this, amidst a welter of ignorant and psychologistic scepticism and fantasy-minded new ageyness:

"Extraordinary Knowing," Dr. Elizabeth Mayer;
"Psychoenergetic Science," Dr. William Tiller;
"China's Super Psychics," Paul Dong;
"Life before Life," Jim Tucker, M.D.,
"Babies Remember Birth," David Chamberlain, Ph.D.;
"Entering the Circle" and "The Master of Lucid Dreams," Olga Kharitidi, M.D.;
"Autobiography of a Yogi," Paramahansa Yogananda, http://www.yogananda-srf.org
"Climb the Highest Mountain" and "The Masters and Their Retreats," Mark Prophet;
"Watch Your Dreams," "Men in White Apparel," and "Kundalini West," Ann Ree Colton;
"Light Is a Living Spirit" and "Man's Subtle Bodies and Centres," O. M. Aivanhov;
"Expecting Adam," Martha Beck, Ph.D.;
"The Reincarnation of Edgar Cayce?", Free and Wilcock;
"Reborn in the West: The Reincarnation Masters," Vicki MacKenzie;
"The Field," Lynne McTaggart.

best regards,

j.

Answer 7

I would say it like:
when mankind exists, you get fantasies. Fanatsies live because we live. For over thousands of years.

Answer 8

How can you be sure this existence isn't a fantasy itself?

Answer 9

Yes. You use your memory and imagination to create and re-create 'you' and the 'world around you'. With out it you would be me. Take away the fantasy and you and I are one along with everything else.

Answer 10

Yes I believe so. The Greatest fantasy of all - The Bible. All to program the human mentality . Now a fantasy so deep it can't be disconnected from the mind.(I do not mean to offend anyone so please, just be open-minded,I respect everyone and their beliefs)^_^