Imagining Reality: Meet the Panelists (02:02)

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"Get Real" author Eliane Glaser introduces "The Eyre Affair" author Jasper Fforde, "The Philosophers' Magazine" co-founder Julian Baggini, and "The Utopia Experiment" author Dylan Evans.

Jasper Fforde: the Pitch (02:52)

Fforde discusses how humans evolved to use imagination for survival. He argues that reading and writing are the closest thing we have to telepathy; crime fiction represents our justice values.

Julian Baggini: the Pitch (02:14)

Baggini discusses how thought experiments use imagination to provide conclusions about how the world works. He supports imagining reality but cautions against dangerous fantasies.

Dylan Evans: the Pitch (01:49)

Evans argues that we act in ways informed by our imagination. With only a few models of romantic love, people are often disappointed.

Theme One: Can Reality and Imagination be Separated? (15:13)

Fforde discusses challenges of making secondary characters interesting and argues that reading science fiction takes imagination. Baggini argues that an objective reality exists, despite subjective perception. Panelists discuss whether the Internet age is causing us to live in fantasy worlds.

Theme Two: How Has Our Reality been Shaped by Fantasies? (10:41)

Baggini says the 2008 financial crisis demonstrates how we confuse fantastical economic models with reality. Fforde discusses how dystopian literature affects fantasies and reality. Evans describes participants as welcoming the apocalypse in his post-apocalyptic community experiment.

Theme Three: Are Utopian Visions Dangerous or Necessary? (12:18)

Evans discusses Amartya Sen's argument for addressing injustice, rather than envisioning utopia. Baggini cautions against political fatalism and argues for incremental changes like a carbon tax. Fforde discusses how our internal utopia acts as a driving force. Panelists debate the utility of ideologies.

Credits: Imagining Reality (00:21)

Credits: Imagining Reality