Two lines of thought that appear - 1. Mimesis and 2. Brain as a prediction machine.
1. Mimesis - The idea of contagion, seems close to the idea of imitation, especially in imagination where there is a tendency to formulate ideas according to forms previously encountered / used.
2. Brain as a prediction machine - The idea is that the brain-mind is a system for predicting outcomes in different contexts. Repeated, intense engagement can lead to hard-wired changes (habits and persistent attitudes) that override the system's normal segregation protocols (quarantine), resulting in new classes of predictions or imagined outcomes.
1. Yes, imaginative contagion is very similar to mimesis and cases of social contagion ("monkey see, monkey do"). But it's different in that imaginatively *adopting* attitudes in contexts like theatre or videogames can lead to their habituation, in a way that merely seeing others having certain attitudes cannot as it doesn't involve pretend adoption of them.
2. I agree - I think that's exactly how imaginative contagion occurs. It looks puzzling how we transition from merely pretending to think and feel a certain way to actually doing so. But the kind of intense, immersed, interactive imagination we engage in when role-playing in acting, videogames and VR can form habits that break quarantine exactly as you say.
sorry there's no mention of the effect on dreaming on the first nights of the days one has done an intensely repetitive task for a full day's wage -- like picking apples, or pruning vines.
yes, it is more the habituation by repetition than more more metaphysical and miserly ideas of mimesis as some may mention
Two lines of thought that appear - 1. Mimesis and 2. Brain as a prediction machine.
1. Mimesis - The idea of contagion, seems close to the idea of imitation, especially in imagination where there is a tendency to formulate ideas according to forms previously encountered / used.
2. Brain as a prediction machine - The idea is that the brain-mind is a system for predicting outcomes in different contexts. Repeated, intense engagement can lead to hard-wired changes (habits and persistent attitudes) that override the system's normal segregation protocols (quarantine), resulting in new classes of predictions or imagined outcomes.
1. Yes, imaginative contagion is very similar to mimesis and cases of social contagion ("monkey see, monkey do"). But it's different in that imaginatively *adopting* attitudes in contexts like theatre or videogames can lead to their habituation, in a way that merely seeing others having certain attitudes cannot as it doesn't involve pretend adoption of them.
2. I agree - I think that's exactly how imaginative contagion occurs. It looks puzzling how we transition from merely pretending to think and feel a certain way to actually doing so. But the kind of intense, immersed, interactive imagination we engage in when role-playing in acting, videogames and VR can form habits that break quarantine exactly as you say.
sorry there's no mention of the effect on dreaming on the first nights of the days one has done an intensely repetitive task for a full day's wage -- like picking apples, or pruning vines.
yes, it is more the habituation by repetition than more more metaphysical and miserly ideas of mimesis as some may mention