Alison Gopnik Analysis

Counterfactual is the things or events that might happen in the future or in the past, but it does not happen. Counterfactual events happen in people’s imaginations. Even though counterfactual events do not happen, but human beings still worries through the imaginary because “counterfactual let us change the world” (165), as a matter of fact, everyone thinks counterfactually. Children interact with the world by “consider possibilities, distinguish them from reality, and even use them to change the world”(164), so children have the ability to think and act counterfactually, “they [children] can imagine different ways the world might be in the future and use them to create plans.” (164) By thinking and acting counterfactually, children have the power to imagine the things that could happen for the future or in the past, which is amazing for connecting the world in such a young age.

2.
According to Alison Gopnik, what is the cognitive relationship between knowledge and imagination? What is surprising or un-conventional about her position? Find three quotations from her chapter that support your answer.
From cognitive perspective, the relationship between knowledge and imagination are opposite, which are different from each other. “Knowledge is actually what gives imagination its power, what makes creativity possible.” (181) Once children have the knowledge, they can image the world the way they want. Children can use the imagination to create connections for the things that could happen in the future or in the past. The scientists believe that children have the counterfactual ability, because they can find the difference between the reality and the fantasy, and from Gopnik’s study, she had discovered that children have the ability to plan for future because babies would solve problems by multiple