At the outset, few of the king's critics imagined it possible to overthrow the regime; they hoped merely to get rid of Polignac.
The pioneers did not see that when they brought fat cattle and the plough to Kenya, but it remains true even after black rule, which came at least a century before any pioneer could have imagined it possible.
The distinctive brilliance of Gopnik's essays lies in his ability to pick up a subject one would never have imagined it possible to think deeply about and then cover it in thoughts, making connections with literature, sociology and philosophy -- all treated in a highly readable way.
I don't doubt that among bishops who shuffled child-raping priests from parish to parish, there might have been some who acted in naïve good faith, imagining it possible to absolve those who victimized children, to assign them penance, and to rely on a "Hail Mary" for healing.
It may be very possible – but only if we imagine it is possible and work to make the possible the actual.
We can just about imagine it's possible.
At first we don't notice how could we imagine it was possible?
Contrary to what you may imagine, it is possible to have a harvest without a garden, though you will require lots of water and plant food.
It's hard to imagine it's possible, but it sure feels like the wealth of political media and pundits have grown since 2008, and the political news cycle has become even more compressed, bizarre, and detached from reality.
Quite soon, I imagine, it will be possible to consistently find a tasty imported apple.
