ABSTRACT
David Hume has claimed that there is an asymmetry in what we can imagine between two kinds of contents: factual contents and evaluative contents. While we can easily imagine contents that contradict our factual beliefs, we find it much more difficult to imagine contents that contradict our values. This is the phenomenon of Imaginative Resistance. The question it raises is that of explaining the asymmetry. The hypothesis defended here is that evaluative contents give rise to negative feelings when they contradict values that we cherish. But fiction can overcome imaginative resistance to evaluative contents by making us react to subtly different scenarios, leading to more refined emotions and to changes in both values and ethical stance.
