We make the dragons as we make the gods, because we need them, because somewhere deep in our hearts, we recognize that a world without them is a world not worth living in.
No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.
And that, I fear, for any reasoning, conscious being, would be the cruelest trick of all.