Reason - Imagination - Meaning Ingenuity I(e)ngineering

Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. C. S. Lewis

Imagination is not just for children. "The process of growing up is to be valued for what we gain, not for what we lose," wrote Lewis. "Not to acquire a taste for the realistic is childish in a bad sense; to have lost the taste for marvels and adventures is no more a matter for congratulations than losing our teeth, our hair, our palate, and finally our hopes."

Imagination is a condition for truth. Lewis said that imagination actually helps reason. Imagination creates metaphors which in turn produce meaning, and reason cannot function without meaning. For instance, you can use reason to tell your doctor why your toe hurts--"I hit it on a chair." But you need imagination and metaphor to explain how much it hurts--"It feels like an elephant stepped on it!"

Imagination is necessary for faith. To communicate with others even the most reasonable of us must resort to imagination on a daily basis. We also need imagination to develop faith. In The Chronicles of Narnia the children at first cannot get into the land of Narnia because they do not believe in it, and they cannot believe in it because they cannot imagine it. They have read all the wrong books, books that "have a lot to say about exports and imports and governments and drains, but are weak on dragons." But faith finally prevails because imagination does. The children enter Narnia through a magical wardrobe and have many exciting adventures there as kings and queens of the land.

Lord, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief. Mark 9:24

We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:18 How can you look at things which are not seen? Only by imagination and faith.