Imaginary world

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"Atlantis" by Lloyd K. Townsend: Atlantis, described by Plato, was imagined by him as an exemplary setting
"Atlantis" by Lloyd K. Townsend: Atlantis, described by Plato, was imagined by him as an exemplary setting

An imaginary world is a setting, place or event or scenario at variance with objective reality, ranging from the voluntary suspension of disbelief of fictional universes and the socially constructed consensus reality of the "Social Imaginary", to alternate realities resulting from disinformation, misinformation or imaginative speculation, and the subjective universe of altered states of consciousness, psychosis or dream sleep.

Imaginary worlds have been the subject of cosmological and philosophical speculation since ancient times.

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[edit] Settings

Imaginary settings need not reflect or resemble the natural world, and logic, physics and plausibility are frequently ignored or violated.

[edit] Places

Main article: List of fictional locations

Imaginary places are best known from myth and fiction, such as where a purposely-created fiction forms part of a fictional universe, and provide background information and locale for the story. In this context an imaginary world may be a world constructed for a specific purpose (eg. constructed world), or created for personal enjoyment (eg. as in geofiction), or may emerge naturally from the narrative.

[edit] Events or scenarios

Cogitation and fiction may both conjure events which did not, might not have, may never or will never happen; such events can be said to occur in an imaginary world.

[edit] Types of Imaginary Worlds

There are many kinds of imaginary worlds by purpose and design. Note there is not any official classification.

[edit] Constructed worlds

Imaginary worlds created for fun, scientistic studies or as setting of a fictional world. They are generally very detailed, and may include mapbuilding, images, documentations, constructed languages, cultures and mythologies. Many of them are collaborative projects.

[edit] Pure imaginary world

Any person (i.e. a kid) can imagine on his mind an imaginary world or fantasy realm. It is usually be a personal world, and would lack of the details and complexity of a whole constructed worlds.

[edit] Virtual World

An imaginary world created to be used in video games or role-play games by PC.

[edit] Speculative worlds

Worlds that were believed to exist but it has been never proved, like the star Nemesis.

[edit] Generic extraterrestrial worlds

Many generatic worlds are used in fiction. I.e. Spaceman Spiff visited many generic planets in the Calvin and Hobbes strip. Unlike the most other imaginary worlds, they are not developed.

[edit] Alternative Earths

Versions of Earth with different physical rules are often depicted on fiction.


[edit] See also

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