Just Imagine! Explorations into Imagination
It is childish to think that a mathematician might come to any scientifically valuable results by sitting at his desk with a ruler, calculating machines or other mechanical devices. In terms of disposition and results the mathematical imagination of a Weierstraß is naturally quite differently oriented from that of an artist, indeed, there is a fundamental qualitative difference. But this difference does not extend to the psychological processes. Both have in common ‘frenzy’ (in the sense of Plato’s ‘mania’) and ‘inspiration’.
Max Weber, Science as a Vocation, 1919
When we think about ‘the imagination’ as a concept, most of us call to mind artists, writers, designers and indeed, all of those men and women whose professions require a creative imagination. As the above quote indicates, however, Max Weber argues that imagination with its ‘frenzy’ and ‘inspiration’ constitutes an integral part of academic research. While we certainly encourage participants to submit papers dealing with the meta-theoretical aspect of this statement, our primary goal is to approach this subject internally from within a range of academic disciplines.
An historical perspective, for example, could encompass the role of imagination in medieval curative treatments by means of comparison between Bald’s “Leechbook” and modern medicine. From a linguistic perspective one could investigate the relevance of imagination in connection to the concepts of signifier and signified and indeed, a wider consideration of the perception of signs; this offers a transition into the disciplines of cultural, media and social studies. Questions raised here might involve asking how the human imagination is sparked and manipulated by the advertising and entertainment industry, for example.