Reading fantasy books

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Reading fantasy books ". Your opponent's style: Philosophical and questioning

As for me reading fantasy books is really good opportunity to switch off your brain after a tiring day. It is an escapism from the real world.

But that's precisely the problem - you're celebrating intellectual surrender! When you "switch off your brain" after work, you're training yourself to be passive, to retreat from complexity rather than engage with it. Fantasy escapism isn't harmless relaxation; it's mental atrophy disguised as entertainment. Consider what you're actually doing: instead of grappling with real human struggles, historical complexities, or contemporary challenges that could expand your understanding, you're fleeing into worlds of magic and dragons. This isn't rest - it's avoidance. Your mind, like any muscle, weakens when you consistently choose the path of least resistance. The most troubling part? You frame this mental vacation as if it's beneficial. But escapism breeds disconnection from reality. While you're absorbed in fictional kingdoms, real injustices persist, real problems demand solutions, and real human experiences go unexplored. Every hour spent in fantasy is an hour not spent developing genuine empathy through realistic literature or expanding your knowledge through non-fiction. True intellectual refreshment comes from engaging with different perspectives on actual human experience, not from abandoning critical thinking altogether. Philosophy, history, science - these challenge you while still providing the mental shift you seek. Fantasy just teaches you to run away when thinking gets difficult.