An Interesting Debate

[Really Weird Person]

Does anyone like debates? I try to avoid those, although making choices is debating (Think about when we say "I am debating between x and y, x, y, and z, w, x, y, and z, etc.") Hmmm — on to the debate.
Is fiction real? That is the title of the debate. My thoughts:
Assuming that imaginary is the absolute opposite of real (such as imaginary numbers or topics about turning dreams (which come from the imagination, hmmm) into realities), then I would say that fiction is real. It is, however, not tangible (I think that this is sometimes a very good thing.) Often, people think of things that happen in a fictional realm as "not real." I would think, again, based on the assumption that imaginary is the opposite of real, that fiction was indeed not real at one point, i.e., in someone's imagination. That imagined thing was made into the movie, cartoon, video game, etc. that we watch or play and know as fiction. In this case, I think "fiction" is also a form or "reality" (just like what we know of as "nonfiction" (us)), but, as I stated earlier, it is an intangible form of reality. What are others' thoughts about such a subject?

[LPChip]

It depends on who I'm debating.

[Louigi Verona]

I enjoy a debate if my opponents do not start going personal and stay strictly on the subject. I also enjoy a debate where all involved are keen on expanding their understanding of the subject rather than just forcing their opinion on everybody.

As for your question, I do not agree with your primary assumption.

Assuming that imaginary is the absolute opposite of real

I do not think that imaginary is an absolute opposite. An absolute opposite of real would be non-existence. Imaginary reality is in many ways connected to real and is, I would say, very real. It is just important to make it clear what peculiar properties do imaginary objects have and how they differ from physical objects.
If you imagine a teapot, it is real enough. Why?
1. Your mind is bouncing off of real material teapots you have seen before. Basically, your imagination is a transformation of reality.
2. You cannot touch your imaginary teapot or pour tea into it, but this is not because it is not real, but because properties of imaginary teapots are different to those that are physical, just like an image of a teapot is not "unreal", but you cannot use it as a physical teapot as well.

So in my view, imagination is a part of reality, it just has certain properties which differ from physical objects, but, nevertheless, it is very real. Getting too caught up in your imagination is loosing the balance and mixing properties of imaginative and physical.

[Really Weird Person]

That is an interesting angle. I had not thought of that.