What’s the Purpose of the Imagination?

“Why did humans evolve the capacity to imagine alternatives to reality? Was story-telling in prehistoric times like the peacock’s tail, of no direct practical use but a good way of attracting a mate? It kept Scheherazade alive through those one thousand and one nights – in the story. On further reflection, imagining turns out to be much more reality-directed than the stereotype implies … [and a] reality-directed faculty of imagination has clear survival value.”