Imagination: More Important than Knowledge | Daily Writeup | Opinions
The following article, “What has made Imagination more Important than Knowledge?“, is written by Anum Bajwa, 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.
Human intellectual evolution has always remained a cornerstone of unparalleled inventions throughout history, as it is the human potential to imagine beyond the horizons of limited knowledge that results in creative ideas, critical thinking, and groundbreaking innovations. From spin wheel to the AI robots, all these inventions have stemmed from the imaginative minds of individuals who dare to think beyond the boundaries of what is known and conventional, emphasizing the notion that imagination is more important than knowledge. It is a spark that ignites humans’ curiosity, making them unleash their true potential. Moreover, invoking the ability to reason and envision alternative possibilities compels humans to question established norms, traditions, and dogmas. Further, the transformative power of imagination that inspires an individual to think beyond conventional boundaries has made the world more and more competitive. In addition, it has been the building block of all the greatest discoveries and advancements to date. Last but not least, imaginative thinking is a driving force in bringing political change. Contrarily, the failure of imagination is a complete recipe for disaster, as it not only leaves an individual unprepared for unpredictable circumstances but also robs his potential to unlock new realms of possibilities.
Before moving towards the significance of imagination over knowledge, it is pertinent to understand the concept of imagination and knowledge. Imagination is envisioning what one has never seen, experienced, or heard. It is a powerful tool that makes humans use concepts, ideas, and scenarios that do not exist in the real world or may not have been experienced directly. It shapes human perception, drives creativity, and expands the boundaries of human understanding. On the other hand, knowledge encompasses facts, concepts, skills, and insights that individuals accumulate over time.
Jumping towards the validity of the maxim, imagination plays an indispensable role in an individual’s personal growth and development. It is like a spark that ignites the flame of curiosity in humans, compelling them to think beyond the edges of what is already known, unleashing their true potential. As an entrepreneur and businessman, Ellon Musk said, “The thing that drives me is that I want to be able to think about the future and feel good about that”. It can be interpreted that curiosity to think further about the future opens an endless door of opportunities. Thus, by stimulating new patterns of thought, desires or behaviours, imagination makes an individual think from different perspectives, positively impacting overall personality development.
“Reason can answer questions, but imagination has to ask them.”
Ralph Gerard, American psychiatrist
In addition to igniting the flame of curiosity, imagination enables thinkers to question and challenge established norms, traditions, and dogmas by envisioning new ideas and exploring different possibilities. The Age of the Renaissance is a peculiar example in this regard, which was greatly influenced by the imaginative powers of thinkers that incited the people to challenge the absolute monarch and religious institutions, paving the way for individual liberty and secularization of politics. In fact, political thinkers’ imaginative and curious minds sowed the seed of modern liberal democracy many centuries ago, allowing others to reap its fruits even after centuries. Thus, enlightenment is brought about by the imaginary ability of thinkers to bring change in human consciousness and promote scientific inquiry and reason.
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
Going down the ladder, imagination plays a crucial role in enhancing global competitiveness by allowing humans to diversify their thinking process, leading to groundbreaking innovations. For instance, artificial intelligence- the artificial simulation of human imagination- has revolutionized all the spheres of human life across the globe, making the world increasingly more competitive and dynamic. On the same footing, digital transformation has made customers worldwide more selective and peculiar in terms of product and service selection, enhancing the demand of minds with the imaginary and creative power to adapt to the new world and think in new unconventional ways to tackle complex problems that have never been seen before.
Furthermore, imagination brings about political change by fueling the ability to reason and envision alternative possibilities. For illustration, thinkers like John Locke and Rousseau’s proposed the social contract based on the governed’s consent. These ideas become the basis of modern liberal democracies. Moreover, history has witnessed that totalitarian regimes always fear people who imagine alternatives, and after that, people can become the powerful instrument of change. Furthermore, the power to imagine makes the people imagine a better society, inspires them, and compels them to challenge the status quo, leading to political movements to bring social and political change. The French Revolution and the American Revolution are glaring examples in this regard. These movements were the turning point in the history of France and America, stemming from the ideas of equality, freedom, and liberty that arose in the minds of thinkers of that time. Thus, it can be anticipated that the potential of thinking and imagining out of the existing limitations is a powerful catalyst for social and political change.
Last but not least, imagination is the building block of all scientific discoveries, inventions, and human progress. For illustration, From Cai Lun’s invention of paper in 105 AD to the invention of the computer in 1946 and the development of the Internet, all these inventions have stemmed from the imaginative minds of individuals who dare to think beyond the boundaries of what is known and conventional. It is the driving force behind humans’ thought processes, which allows them to construct scientific theories and, through constant trial and error, leads to groundbreaking innovations. Therefore, it can be contended that imagination is fueling imagination while emphasizing that relying only on facts and figures confines human abilities within the boundaries.
On the contrary, the failure of imagination is the recipe for complete disaster. The inability to forecast the worst-case scenario associated with infectious diseases has consistently undermined the preparedness of the healthcare sector and resulted in inefficient policies to deal with baffling circumstances. The Covid-19 breakout in the recent years and its rapid spread across the globe reflects the failure of imagination of policy making authorities, leading to unforgettable impacts on social, political, and economic realms of nations. In fact, history has witnessed that humans have suffered from a number of pandemics like Swine flu, Cholera, Bubonic plague, Smallpox, and Influenza due to the lack of their ability to anticipate the situation in the long run. Thus, it is beyond any shadow of a doubt that imagination is a prerequisite to dealing with problems that have never been seen or experienced before.
Furthermore, the lack of collective imagination to foresee the unabated impacts of climate change has hindered the fight against climate change. Klaus Lackner, director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, said, “Because people cannot visualize the effects they have on the environment, they are not acting on solutions that could help save it.” For illustration, the rapid industrialization and burning of fossil fuels for economic gains without considering its detrimental impacts on the environment in the distant future. Moreover, the lack of foresight makes policymakers formulate short-sighted policies rather than envision long-term policies by visualizing the effects of climate change on the earth.
Moreover, failing to think beyond current affairs has always brought devastating results for individuals, organizations, businesses, and nations. William Golding, who first coined the term the failure of imagination in his novel Lord of the Flies, argues that the biggest problem with society is that people cannot imagine alternatives to the way things are currently. For illustration, Nokia, in the early 2000s, was the leading manufacturer in the mobile phone market; however, in 2007, Apple’s iPhone was released the market, which completely revolutionized the mobile market with its intelligent features and Nokia due to its failure to envision the importance of technology in the long run lagged in innovations, marking the end of Nokia’s era as a mobile phone manufacturer giant. Thus, reinforcing the notion that imagination is a key to innovation.
In a critical diagnosis, imagination drives innovations, creativity, social, and political reforms. From the very beginning of human evolution, authoritative regimes have always suppressed individuals from imagining and dissenting ideas as they consider them a threat to their rule. North Korea is a peculiar example in this regard, where state-controlled education, media, and censorship are impacting the thinking framework and visionary thinking of its citizens to legitimize their rule. Therefore, the imposition of intellectual servitude is the most degrading form of subjugation, which serves as the bottleneck in the intellectual evolution of human beings.
To conclude the debate, imagination is a stimulus behind creativity, innovations, and groundbreaking advancements worldwide. The transformative power steers the ship of human progress towards uncharted waters of enlightenment by allowing them to diversify their thought process and criticize the prevailing norms and convictions. However, relying only on facts and the incapability to envisage beyond the current state of affairs makes humans stuck in the present. It leaves them unprepared for unpredictable circumstances in the long run, emphasizing that imagination is more important than knowledge.
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