Suspension of Disbelief

A Suspension of Disbelief is a conscious choice to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable;

• See: Sawing a Woman in Half, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

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References

2016

• (Wikipedia, 2016) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/suspension_of_disbelief Retrieved:2016-10-18.
  • The term suspension of disbelief or willing suspension of disbelief has been defined as a willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment. The term was coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative. Suspension of disbelief often applies to fictional works of the action, comedy, fantasy, and horror genres. Cognitive estrangement in fiction involves using a person's ignorance to promote suspension of disbelief. The phrase "suspension of disbelief" came to be used more loosely in the later 20th century, often used to imply that the burden was on the reader, rather than the writer, to achieve it. This might be used to refer to the willingness of the audience to overlook the limitations of a medium, so that these do not interfere with the acceptance of those premises. These fictional premises may also lend to the engagement of the mind and perhaps proposition of thoughts, ideas, art and theories. Suspension of disbelief is often an essential element for a magic act or a circus sideshow act. For example, an audience is not expected to actually believe that a woman is cut in half or transforms into a gorilla in order to enjoy the performance.

2016

• http://hbr.org/2016/10/theranos-and-the-dark-side-of-storytelling
  • QUOTE: ... According to the great English poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), enjoyment of fiction requires a “willing suspension of disbelief” — a conscious decision. We say to ourselves, “Well, I know this story about Beowulf battling Grendel is sheer bunk, but I’m going to switch off my skepticism for a while so I can enjoy the ride.”

    But that’s not how it works. We don’t will our suspension of disbelief. If the story is strong, if the teller has craft, our suspension of disbelief just happens to us, with or without our permission. Chalk it up to the power of emotion. Successful stories generate powerful feelings, and strong feelings act as a solvent on our logic and our skepticism. To put it positively, good stories — fictional or not — make us more open minded. To put it negatively, they make us a lot more gullible. ...

    ... While stories often provide symbiotic benefits to teller and receiver, we must remember that they are told mainly in the teller’s interests. We humans are — by our deepest natures — suckers for story. With apologies to Coleridge, not suspending disbelief is what requires an act of will.

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