The structure of the imagined and its manifestations in Western culture

Abstract

This research aims to approach the concept of the imaginary in Western culture, and to question the major historical base stations that dealt with the linguistic root "imaginary", and with its derivations and conceptual extensions, because the concepts have a supposed semantic identity that must be recognized and pursued in the place of their emergence and radiation. Since the distance between these historical and cultural stations is not a chasm that calls for transcendence, but rather a mediator that requires crossing, it was unavoidable to stop at the two poles of Greek thought "Plato" and "Aristotle", as well as the philosophers of modern Western thought; "Kant", "Gilbert Durand", and "Jean-Paul Sartre". To achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher used an analytical approach aimed at dismantling the phenomena and studying them in a detailed study. The research reached a set of results, the most important of which is that the Western approach to the imaginary is a multi-asset approach that is available from a source of thought with multiple features and manifestations as well.

Keywords: Imaginary, fiction, Western culture.