Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” Imagination and knowledge are the two main sources of inspiration and provide two different approaches to any problem or conflict. A famous author and writer of the article “Is imagination more important than knowledge?”, Kathleen Taylor presents the argument on the importance of imagination and knowledge to individuals and society. Einstein’s quote displays his side of the argument, and the value society placed on imagination versus knowledge during the time. However, skipping forward brings us to the age of information and the expansion of available …show more content…
From the 1940s to the 1970s, there was a continuous decrease in the reliability of imagination. William Zinsser was an author during that timeframe, and he reflects the notion of a balance change in his essay, “The Right to Fail,” as he says, “‘But what if we fail?’ they ask, whispering the dreadful word across the Generation Gap to their parents, who are back home at the Establishment nursing their ‘middle-class values’ and cultivating their ‘goal-oriented society’” (Zinsser). Zinsser focuses on the vast difference between two generations with two different beliefs in ways to complete and achieve goals. “Unhooked from reality, imagination no longer serves these life-enhancing purposes. Without new knowledge to feed it and keep it in check, it can become sterile and even dangerous…,” notes Taylor as she compares the relationship between imagination and knowledge. Zinsser wrote about the development from only focusing on achieving a goal no matter the risk to having a reliable method to attain wealth and fame. Taylor demonstrates the cause for the growing rift between two generations, knowledge revealed to be more reliable. From after World War II to the age of information, the proportion of imagination to knowledge shifted to the side of …show more content…
At the beginning of this journey, Homer portrayed imagination in his character, Odysseus. This physical representation of dream and fantasy worked to convince the people back then to use imagination to try and achieve success, even with the risk. Then, as Frankl was in the concentration camp, he came up with the idea of coping with the struggles by bringing yourself back to reality and getting tasks done by not relaxing in your conceptions. Until the 1970s, when Zinsser’s “The Right to Fail” was published, imagination was prevalent, however, this decade stabilized the balance between imagination and knowledge. In the current generation, Gladwell uses Steve Jobs as an example for someone who had a distinct perspective on knowledge and did not utilize imagination for their path to wealth and fame. Taylor and her article, “Is imagination more important than knowledge?”, offers explanations on if imagination or knowledge is more important to society and the way those ideas have changed and converted through time. Now only one question is left, where will evolution lead our society in terms of the significance we have placed on imagination versus
“The Right to Fail” is a short essay written by William Zinsser, an accomplished film critic and author. In Zinsser’s essay he describes how failure is not inherently bad and success is not inherently good. He supports himself with various real life and fictional examples. In his essay he discusses his beliefs on materialism and the corruption of the American dream. He continues with how having a goal oriented society is not suited for everyone; however, that failing just to fail is also bad. I agree with Zinsser in regards to his beliefs on the American Dream and materialism and his belief that not everyone is suited for the society set up today; however, I do not agree that having a goal oriented society is necessarily a bad thing and that telling
All humans have dreams and goals for their future that they wish to someday turn into reality. Dreams are different for every person, and some dreams are greater and grander than others, but they are all similar in that humans live for dreams because humans innately crave a better tomorrow. While many people do achieve their ultimate goals within their lifetimes, some people have unattainable dreams that are destined for failure. Two quintessential American novels, The Great Gatsby and the Catcher in the Rye, recount the stories of two hopeful young men with lofty plans, Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield. Both of these utopian young men possess impossible, unreachable dreams; Gatsby desires to rewind his life so that he may enjoy it with his beloved Daisy instead of losing her while at war, and Holden wishes for time to halt altogether so that he must not face the challenge of growing up and becoming an adult in a cruel society. Through the example of both of their tragic stories, it is evident that humans often rely too heavily on dreams, and when these vital dreams fail because of corrupt societies, they lose touch with reality and fall into despair and defeat.
The American dream is the ideal that every U.S. citizen should be able to achieve success and prosperity through equal opportunities such as hard work, patience, determination, initiative. In William Zinsser’s essay “The Right to Fail,” the readers are presented with the idea that failure is a part of the pathway to life to be able to achieve the American dream. Like most people, this complicates what we see as the American dream. Do we all face failure at some point in life? Will we be able to pick ourselves back up after this point? Is there any way to avoid failure? What does failure even consist of? Zinsser provides his readers with the truths about this derogatory word known as failure.
According C.Wright.Mills (1959), sociological imagination enables one to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables one to take into account how individuals, in the welter of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social positions. It is not only information that they need - in this Age of Fact; information often dominates their attention and overwhelms their capacities to assimilate it. It is not only the skills of reason that they need although their struggles to acquire these often exhaust their limited moral energy. What they need, and what they feel they need, is a quality of mind that will help them to use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within them.
Imagination and reality are often viewed as opposites. People are told to stop playing pretend and to face reality like an adult. However, in Alison Gopnik’s short story, “Possible Worlds: Why Do Children Pretend,” she discusses counterfactuals and how humans of all ages experience these counterfactuals. Gopnik’s definition of a counterfactual is the product of hope and imagination, also known as the woulda-coulda-shouldas of life. These counterfactuals include all the possible scenarios that could have happened in the past and all that could happen in the future. Scientists have proven that knowledge and imagination go hand in hand and without imagination, pretend, and fantasy there would be no science or opportunity for change. In the text, Gopnik explains how even babies are capable of
...ate. The creative thinking of Laliberte and Gauthier produced a greater reward than either could have imagined. (Kreitner & Cassidy, pp. 234-236)
Imagination allows for one to explore deeper into their faith than what would be possible in the physical world. Brueggemann describes imagination in faith as inevitable because it is bound to happen when trying to understand that of which is beyond physical means; also when one relates the stories of an ancient world to present day circumstances.
In their article, “The Creativity Crisis”, authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman explore the urgency of the downfall in the public’s “creativity quotient.” Bronson and Merryman emphasize the necessity for young children to be imaginative. Through an IBM poll, they verify that with the decrease of creativity in our society comes an array of consequences seen in the work field. The authors remind readers of another reason for the importance of creativity; they argue that creative ideas can solve national matters. Hence, Branson and Merryman believe that original ideas are key for a better world. Though I concede that creativity is a vital key to the solution of many national problems, I still insist that teaching creativity,
Imagination is one of the most unique and fascinating elements of the human mind. It is essentially using one’s mental abilities and memories to create specific imagery. This imagery helps people to be innovative, conceptualize, and come up with clever solutions to solve difficult problems. Imagination allows people to go outside of reality in order to envision ideas that they could not visualize otherwise. Without imagination, there would be very little originality and ingenuity. Unfortunately, people are slowly becoming less imaginative because of mind-numbing activities, society’s lack of encouraging creativity, and an educational system that emphasizes
Imagination sets people from the real world by giving them the ability to form creative choices. Imagination empowers humans, in away to allow people to create art and
Imagination is one of the most powerful attributes a character can possess, and one of the most undervalued. In this day and age, materials seem to be desired by the majority of the people in our generation, whether it’d be elaborate clothing, advanced gadgets, or luxurious cars. We value the accessories that allow us to feel extravagant, rather than appreciating the remarkable abilities gifted to us by human nature. Because of this, the potency of imagination is neglected. However, what happens when we take those material goods away? What happens when we are left with nothing, only ourselves and our minds? This isolation from the material world gives us a chance to explore the possibilities that we disregard while we are blinded by it. With
Cullen, Jim. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation. New York: Oxford, 2003. Print.
The power of Imagination can give humans the will power to accomplish anything. In the book Life of Pi by Yann Martell Imagination helped Pi the main character get through his long journey aboard a lifeboat. Over the course of this story Pi encounters many different situations where he needs to use his imagination. Towards the end of the book you as the reader have the option to believe the story you just read or a second story, a more vulgar and less interesting story. As the reader you have to use your imagination just like how Pi needed to use his imagination. Imagination allowed Pi to survive by keeping him sane, protecting him and lastly to acquire the traits of telling a beautiful story.
There is a magnitude of research put behind trying to find the link between creativity and...
In this essay, I aim to discuss the issue whether imagination is more important than knowledge. “For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand” (Albert Einstein).