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The ability to imagine is at the heart of what makes us human. We've dismissed it as a way of escaping reality, rather than understanding it more profoundly. Through imagination you can experience the world more fully and understand yourself and others better. In this episode we discuss moving between the rational, analytic mode and the creative, imaginative mode of consciousness in everyday life. How a world that suppresses the imagination leaves itself vulnerable to magical thinking in politics and other parts of society.

Gary Lachman is a writer and philosopher, whose work focuses on human imagination and the history of occult ideas. In this episode we discuss:

- Moving between the rational and the imaginative modes of consciousness - The rise of meme magic in politics and how Trump, Putin others have used it - How to make sense of a world dominated by philosophies of nihilism

We also discuss Gary’s experience in the rock band Blondie in the mid 70s, how the internet shapes reality and the history of some of the most important ideas about consciousness.