- In most professions and academic fields, imagination is more important than knowledge.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.________________________________________
Stating that imagination is more valuable asset than knowledge, the speaker asserts that the latter has only limited value in diverse activities in most professions and academic endeavors. In some sense, it is hard to deny that, in our times, “soft thinking,” an ability to envision something in our minds has become more important than most other types of hard thinking—building solid background knowledge, systematic observation, accurate calculation, and logical evaluation on the previous attempts. However, I still believe that even imagination has little value unless it is geared by detailed knowledge, actual skills and experiences; from the first to the last, our ideas should be backed up by a set of systematic knowledge.
Of course, few would disagree that imagination is important in all professions and academic disciplines. In the process of creating a truly innovative concept or object, it becomes even indispensable. In arts, greatness of a painter, a sculptor, or a musician is determined not by his or her familiarity with the past achievements in the given fields but by inspiration itself, or his or her ability to convert this accidentally coming inspiration into creative expressions. Even in science and business, successful new theories and products depend largely on creators’ imaginative powers; all the important principles in physics and electronics began by scientists’ ability to depict the invisible orders in their heads; Steve Jobs was able to present the i-pod to us, not because he had an inimitable level of knowledge in science but more because he had the famous capacity to think differently and creatively. In short, imagination is one of the important elements in our meaningful thought.
Yet, this does not necessarily mean that knowledge is no longer important in our age. In my view, it can never be marginalized. When it comes to the initial stage of forming a creative idea, abundant background knowledge is not so much an option as a foundation. Without a proper level of skill and experience, any inspiration cannot be converted into a sustainable product; imagination without the skill to control it may be wasted, at best, as a day-dream. For example, van Gogh could make his creative works because he had a level of knowledge about color, line, and shape. What distinguishes Steve Jobs from other daydreamers is not the simple fact that his imagination is greater but the fact that his imagination was well combined with his sophisticated knowledge about the potentials of modern technologies. ……
Many would say that imagination is more important than simple intellectual ability in leading to any meaningful achievement. In some sense, it is true that the ability to envision some inexperienced things is more desired than knowledge in many areas of human endeavor today. However, I believe it is ultimately one’s well equipped intellectual power that provides our unstable, drifting imaginations with an order and practical value.
Of course, it is not unnatural for us to hear the claim that reliance only on or excessive emphasis on simple intellectual and analytical competences of a person is an outdated concept. In arts, most influential creators, without an exception, have been those who showed their own creative imaginations. Lacking even the most fundamental trainings in sciences, Mozart gave us immortal masterpieces. Even in the modern business world, people of imagination are direly needed for most companies that wish to find out an innovative technique or develop new products to defeat their rivals; competitors of the Apple lag behind it not because they do not have a pool of smart investigators and intelligent scientists—but, they do not have Steve Jobs, one of the world’s greatest controller of imagination. ………………………..
The given statement asserts that any meaningful accomplishment in a field of human endeavor requires creative power more than simple intelligence. In some sense, it is undeniable that imagination is more likely than knowledge and experience to make significant contributions. However, I do not believe that sophisticated knowledge plays just a minor role even in today’s world.
Of course, few would disagree that most important discoveries and true innovations today come from creative, imaginative senses. In the world of modern business where access to basic scientific principles is widely open, it is ultimately the ability of imaginative designers that helps a company more competitive than its rivals. Many economists would agree that Apple’s famous recent success is not because it has a greater number of intelligent engineers but because it had an inimitable dreamer in Steve Jobs. Similarly, in arts, it is not the simple skills or precise knowledge of an artist but his or her prowess to “think creatively and differently” that determines the true value of his enterprise.
Yet, this does not necessarily mean that general knowledge including sophisticated skill, precise reasoning ability, and experiences is trivial in most areas of human effort. With regard to implementation (incorporation, embodiment) of an initial idea into a reality, sophisticated skills and knowledge can never be considered a secondary element. In fact, if Apple had not had competent, intelligent technicians, Jobs’ idea on iPhone might have gone away with him, or, iPhone today might not be one we use today but, at most, a crude toy.