ABSTRACT
Far from leading into the mysteries of the faculty of imagination and its place in education, this chapter will try to show there is no such thing.
The imagination
In the nineteenth century it was common among educators and psychologists to think of the imagination as a separate faculty of the mind, along with such things as memory, perception, reasoning, and the will. The task of education is to strengthen these powers. According to one source, it should ‘chasten while it kindles the imagination’. Training the mental faculties is akin to training the body’s muscles. The aim is to develop strength and prevent flabbiness.
