We recognize Robert Louis Stevenson’s Long John Silver by his commanding presence, his stoicism and the absence of his left leg, cut off below the hip. Although we think we know the roguish Silver, characters such as he are not of this world, as Stevenson himself admitted in Longman’s Magazine in 1884. He described fictional characters as being like circles—abstractions. Scientists use circles to solve problems in physics, and writers and readers likewise use fictional characters to think about people in the social world.

Psychologists once scoffed at fiction as a way of understanding people because—well—it’s made up. But in the past 25 years cognitive psychologists have developed a new appreciation for the significance of stories. Just as computer simulations have helped us understand perception, learning and thinking, stories are simulations of a kind that can help readers understand not just the characters in books but human character in general. In 1986 psychologist Jerome Bruner, now at New York University School of Law, argued persuasively that narrative is a distinctive and important mode of thought. It elaborates our conceptions of human or humanlike agents and explores how their intentions collide with reality.

3 Comments

1. 1. NeuroNautilos 09:48 PM 11/20/11

   Poems as well as stories can help us understand human character. Take Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Alphonso Of Castile" for example. He says, "Mighty projects countermanded,Rash ambition broken-handed,Puny man and scentless rose Tormenting Pan to double the dose." Pan according to the New World Encyclopedia, in mythology, is "characterized by a close symbolic link to the undomesticated world." Emerson is making a statement about the human reaction to that fear. He feels as though are senses are directly hampered allowing us to become irrational, weak, indecisive, and panic-stricken.
   
   It is my assertion that,in the face of adversity whether real or imagined, fear is the constant that fuels our paranoid imagination. Disciplining your thoughts and controlling your conscious mind, are crucial elements of conquering this fear. Emerson in an attempt to apparently evoke empathy says,"Masters, I'm in pain with you;Masters, I'll be plain with you.In my palace of Castile,I, a king, for kings can feel;". In this statement Emerson validates that we are all connected through our shared experiences. Our need to be accepted as individuals regardless of our status in society is also a poignant observation made by Emerson. Though Castile is a "King" he finds himself in the same predicament of the "Masters".
   
   
   
   
   

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2. 2. NeuroNautilos 09:55 PM 11/20/11

   Poems as well as stories can help us understand human character. Take Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Alphonso Of Castile" for example. He says, "Mighty projects countermanded,Rash ambition broken-handed,Puny man and scentless rose Tormenting Pan to double the dose." Pan according to the New World Encyclopedia, in mythology, is "characterized by a close symbolic link to the undomesticated world." Emerson is making a statement about the human reaction to that fear. He feels as though are senses our directly hampered allowing us to become irrational, weak, indecisive, and panic-stricken.
   
   It is my assertion that,in the face of adversity whether real or imagined, fear is the constant that fuels our paranoid imagination. Disciplining your thoughts and controlling your conscious mind, are crucial elements of conquering this fear. Emerson in an attempt to apparently evoke empathy says,"Masters, I'm in pain with you;Masters, I'll be plain with you.In my palace of Castile,I, a king, for kings can feel;". In this statement Emerson validates that we are all connected through our shared experiences. Our need to be accepted as individuals regardless of our status in society is also a poignant observation made by Emerson. Though Castile is a "King" he finds himself in the same predicament of the "Masters".
   
   
   
   
   

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3. 3. Bops 03:39 PM 11/21/11

   There are too many people not dotting the i's and crossing the t's.
   What's to understand about nuts that are over the edge.

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