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if you can imagine it it exists ?

**If You Can Imagine It, Does It Exist?**
*Exploring the borderlands between thought and reality*

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### Introduction

The question “If you can imagine it, does it exist?” has been rattling the brains of philosophers, artists, scientists, and casual internet wanderers for centuries. From heated debates on Philosophy Stack Exchange to whimsical Reddit threads about Santa Claus, the idea that imagination might be a passport to existence is both tantalising and unsettling. In this post we’ll unpack the different angles—philosophical, psychological, and creative—behind this age‑old query, and we’ll ask ourselves: **what does it really mean for something to “exist”?**

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## 1. The Philosophical Angle

### Descartes and the “I think, therefore I am” myth

René Descartes famously declared *Cogito, ergo sum*—“I think, therefore I am.” Some internet users extrapolate this to mean *anything you can think of must therefore exist.* This is a **misreading**. Descartes was only asserting the certainty of the **thinking subject**, not the objects of thought.

On Philosophy Stack Exchange, a user tried to stretch the Cogito into a universal law of existence, only to be reminded that the statement is a **self‑referential proof**. The objects we imagine—unicorns, alternate dimensions, perfect societies—remain **ontologically ambiguous** unless we can anchor them in some external reality.

### Ontology 101: Different kinds of “existence”

| Type of existence | What it means | Example |
|——————-|—————|———|
| **Concrete** | Physical, measurable, occupies space and time | A chair, a mountain |
| **Abstract** | Non‑physical but logically consistent (numbers, concepts) | The number 7, “justice” |
| **Fictional/Conceptual** | Exists as an idea, narrative, or cultural meme | Sherlock Holmes, Santa Claus |
| **Potential** | Not yet realized but logically possible | A future technology, a new language |

When we say “I can imagine a dragon,” we are creating a **fictional/conceptual** entity. It exists **in the realm of ideas**, but not as a **concrete** object we can touch.

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## 2. The Power of Imagination

> *“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.”* — George Bernard Shaw

Imagination is more than day‑dreaming; it’s a **cognitive engine** that drives invention. Think of the Wright brothers, who first imagined a machine that could defy gravity, or Marie Curie, who envisioned unseen atoms before the tools existed to detect them. In those cases, imagination **seeded reality**—the imagined became concrete through effort, experimentation, and resources.

### How imagination shapes reality

1. **Ideation** – The spark. You picture a solution, a story, or a product.
2. **Visualization** – You flesh out details, test scenarios in your mind.
3. **Willpower** – The desire to turn the mental image into something tangible.
4. **Action** – Experiments, prototypes, drafts, or rehearsals.
5. **Creation** – The imagined object or concept finally materialises (or remains a story).

This pipeline shows why many creators treat imagination as a **prerequisite** for achievement, even if the imagined thing doesn’t *instantly* exist.

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## 3. Solipsism: The Extremist View

Solipsism posits that **only your own mind is guaranteed to exist**; everything else could be a dream, simulation, or hallucination. If we adopt a solipsistic lens, the answer to “Does my imagination create existence?” becomes trivially **yes**—the imagined thing **exists inside your mind**.

But solipsism is generally rejected because it **undermines communication** and **empirical verification**. It’s a useful philosophical thought experiment to highlight the limits of certainty, but not a practical framework for everyday life.

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## 4. The Santa Claus Analogy

On Reddit, a user asked whether imagination makes Santa *real*. The consensus: Santa exists **as a communicable idea**—a cultural meme that has shaped holiday traditions, economies, and childhood narratives. The **physical embodiment** (a jolly man in a red suit delivering gifts worldwide in one night) does **not** exist, but the **concept** certainly does, and its impact is measurable: sales spikes, charitable donations, and a host of movies and songs.

This illustrates the **dual existence** many imagined entities enjoy:

* **Idea‑level existence** – Shared across minds, can be discussed, referenced, and built upon.
* **Material existence** – Requires physical manifestation, which many ideas never achieve.

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## 5. Picasso’s Provocative Claim

> *“Everything you can imagine is real.”* — Pablo Picasso

Picasso’s statement can be parsed in two ways:

1. **Literal** – Anything you imagine *has a reality* in the mental landscape, which is true by definition.
2. **Metaphorical** – Imagination **creates a foothold** for future reality; artists turn imagined scenes into paintings, writers turn imagined worlds into novels, engineers turn imagined machines into patents.

In the art world, the line between the imagined and the real is intentionally blurred. A painting can make a **conceptual** object feel **tangible**, inviting viewers to “experience” something that never physically exists.

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## 6. Achieving the Impossible

> *“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.”* — William Arthur Ward

Ward’s motivational mantra pushes the imagination‑achievement connection to its **aspirational extreme**. It works as a **psychological catalyst**: believing something is possible boosts confidence, which in turn increases persistence and creativity—key ingredients for breakthroughs.

### Real‑world case studies

| Imagination → Achievement | Who | What they imagined | How it became real |
|—————————|—–|——————–|——————–|
| Flight | Orville & Wilbur Wright | A controllable heavier‑than‑air machine | Systematic testing, wind‑tunnel experiments, 1903 Kitty Hawk flight |
| Internet | Vint Cerf & Bob Kahn | A global network of computers “talking” to each other | Development of TCP/IP, ARPANET, public adoption |
| Human genome mapping | International Human Genome Project | Complete sequence of all human DNA | Massive collaboration, sequencing technologies, 2003 draft |

These stories remind us that imagination **doesn’t guarantee existence**, but it **provides the blueprint** for it.

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## 7. Where Do We Land?

The answer to “If you can imagine it, does it exist?” isn’t a simple yes or no. It depends on **what kind of existence** we’re talking about:

* **In the mind** – Absolutely. Anything you picture lives there.
* **In culture** – Many imagined entities become shared symbols (Santa, dragons, superheroes).
* **In the physical world** – Only if you (or someone else) translate the mental image into material form.

The debate continues across philosophy forums, scientific conferences, and everyday conversations. What remains clear is that **imagination is the engine of progress**. Even if the imagined object never becomes a tangible thing, the **process of imagining** reshapes our perceptions, fuels creativity, and can alter the world in indirect but profound ways.

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## 8. Your Turn: What Do You Believe?

*Do you think anything you can think of exists somewhere—perhaps as an idea, a cultural artifact, or a future reality?*

Leave a comment below with the most out‑landish thing you’ve ever imagined and whether you’ve seen it manifest in any form. Let’s turn this philosophical puzzle into a community brainstorm!

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### TL;DR

– **Imagination = mental existence.**
– **Concrete existence** requires externalisation (building, testing, sharing).
– **Philosophical lenses** (Descartes, solipsism) help clarify the limits of the claim.
– **Quotes from Shaw, Picasso, Ward** highlight imagination’s role as a catalyst for creation.
– **Cultural ideas** (Santa, superheroes) show how imagined things can have real‑world impact without physical form.

In the end, whether an imagined thing *truly* exists depends on **how you define existence**—and on the **effort you’re willing to pour** into making the imagined become real.

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*Keep imagining, keep questioning, and maybe one day you’ll turn the impossible into the inevitable.*