How Imagination is More Important than Knowledge? | Daily Writeup | Opinions
The following article, “How Imagination is more Important than Knowledge?“, is written by Ayesha Irfan, a student of Sir Syed Kazim Ali. Moreover, the article is written on the same pattern, taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. Sir Kazim has uploaded his students’ solved past paper questions so other thousands of aspirants can understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Imagination and knowledge are two sides of a coin. On the one hand, imagination is the ability to form images, ideas, and sensations of the mind, which are invisible to the senses. It is about using one’s creativity and innovation to create something new and diverse. On the other hand, knowledge is the familiarity, awareness, or understanding of something, such as facts or data gathered through experience or education. However, Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. While knowledge is limited to all, imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be able to know and understand.” Nonetheless, the great scientist’s saying is not false because knowledge is limited and not alive; imagination creates and aligns knowledge and what one thinks one has known. Therefore, many arguments prove this saying. For example, a vivid imagination frees a person from the bounds of deductive reasoning. According to Avicenna, the imagination mediated between, and thus, unified human reason and divine being. This mediating quality manifested in two directions: on the one hand, reason, rising above itself, could attain the level of active imagination, an activity shared with the lower divine beings. Further, it shapes the scattered knowledge of a person and generates his willpower. The article highlights the maxim that imagination is more important than knowledge.
Before moving forward, it is imperative to understand the meaning of this wise saying. The quote “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” has resonated with many people throughout the years, sparking debates and discussions on the value of imagination in people’s lives. However, the Islamic mystic poet Bulleh Shah wrote in verse that he did not require further worldly knowledge; all he needed was Alif. This means that he assumed all his poetry was about this one word and sought a source of knowledge after swimming across its expanse. Undoubtedly, knowledge ignites the intellect, but the intellect or imagination compels the knowledge into a certain piece of art.
Understanding the significance of imagination, it is the most critical and elementary factor that leads the minds to think creatively. Nonetheless, creative ideas are within the confinement of Islam even at the very beginning. The Quran states, “Whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant wealth (Privilege)” (2: 269). This verse means that wisdom (active imagination or thinking) is the greatest good. Therefore, the ability to think creatively and see beyond the constraints of the current reality is an essential ingredient for human progress.
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!”
(Dr. Seuss)
On the contrary, knowledge is grounded in the information and experiences that have already accumulated. As Bertrand Russel said, “Science may set limits to knowledge but should not set limits to imagination”. Undoubtedly, knowledge is essential for innovations, but knowledge alone can only take people so far; thus, applying imagination allows people to break through these boundaries and create something truly remarkable.
Many arguments prove that imagination is more important than knowledge. First, a vivid imagination frees a person from the bounds of deductive reasoning. To Alert Einstein, “Logic will get a person from A to B; imagination will take you everywhere.” However, genuinely creative and innovative ideas are not stymied by an unclear path or lack of knowledge. First, people imagine the goal what they want to achieve and then build the path. Hence, knowledge and technical skills are the tools that turn an idea into reality.
Further, imagination shapes the scattered knowledge of a person. For instance, the scientist Norman Borlaug, the “Father of the Green Revolution”, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, is credited with saving over a billion people from starvation. He imagined to develop a semi-dwarf, high-yield, and disease-resistant wheat varieties. He worked for his imagination to make it a reality and save humanity from starvation worldwide. Thus, he proved that imagination shapes the vast knowledge of a person.
Furthermore, imagination generates man’s willpower. It is a fact that if a person imagines something his willpower is generated to make his imagination a reality. For instance, Abdul Khaliq’s imagination generated the willpower to make him the flying bird of Asia; he was a Pakistani sprinter from 8 Medium Regiment Artillery who won 36 international gold medals, 15 international silver medals, and 12 International bronze medals for his country.
Apart from these, one feature that seems to emerge repeatedly through time is the notion of imagination in poetry and literature, depicting the emotional, imaginative, intellectual, and expressive language used to reflect the writer’s consciousness. For example, Allama Iqbal’s imagination behind the ideology of Pakistan encouraged the then Muslims to fight for their separate homeland. Thus, imagination has a great influence on poetry and literature.
Moreover, the potential of imagination behind the inventions is not hidden from anyone. Therefore, imagination is the starting point for innovations. It stimulates innovation through the experience of a mental, which is unconstrained by the realities of physics or finance. For instance, imagination led to the inventions from the wheel to the internet. However, thousands of examples like helicopters, scuba suits, the internet, robots, etc., prove the power of imagination behind every single invention.
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
Thomas Alva Edison
Over and above that, the faculty of imagination behind the art is oral evidence of the influence of imagination. For example, Pablo Picasso says that everything you can imagine is real. It means that every great thing in the world is nothing more than an imagination; it is someone’s courage, passion, and strong determination that turns the vision into a reality. However, an artist has a deep sense of working with their imagination.
Additionally, history imaginatively presents itself as well-known to everyone. According to E.H. Carr, “The facts speak only when historians call on them,” means that historical facts depend on the interpretation and imagination of the historians. In history, imagination means simultaneously using the mind’s eye to imagine reality and unreality. Hence, historical knowledge is grounded in the imagination. It is not a matter of compiling and reciting facts but of recreating the past with the help of imagination.
In the bargain, the power of imagination in building new ideas is a widely known example. The ability to mentally simulate situations and ideas not perceived by the physical senses lays the foundation for creativity. Yet imagination alone is insufficient to produce creativity; knowledge is needed as a catalyst. For example, Isaac Newton formulated the gravitational theory in 1665 after watching an apple fall and asking why the apple fell straight down rather than sideways or upward. Thus, imagination helps people understand complex issues more quickly because they can look at them differently.
Last but not least, imagination gives an aim to human life. Nevertheless, successful people build mental images of their goals. A clear mental picture of what they want to achieve helps them see their goal and the way toward it clearly and with detail. This allows them to know what steps they need to take. For example, Plato devoted his life to helping people reach a state of fulfilment based on imagination. To achieve his goal, he gave his famous ideal state. Hence, Plato proved that every aim has a strong and clear imagination behind it.
Undoubtedly, knowledge is crucial and has its significance in human life, yet imagination is beyond it. As Albert Einstein aptly said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”. This means that a person’s intelligence does not depend on their knowledge level. Instead, it depends on how inventively he applies that knowledge to change the world. Therefore, everything that has been invented yet is evidence of the power of imagination behind them.
“Nothing encourages creativity like the chance to fall flat on one’s face.”
James D. Finley
In a nutshell, imagination is a very important tool for creativity and invention. It allows people to create a better future, generate willpower, develop new ideas, generate an aim for life, think first and then act innovatively and creatively, and produce art, literature, poetry, and historical events. Therefore, the power of imagination encourages people not to give up until they succeed, proved that imagination is more important than knowledge.
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