Thursday, May 10, 2007

Imagination and Knowledge

Another "Life is Not a Bumpersticker" moment.

Downtown today I was behind a car with a bumpersticker that read
Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Sounds nice and truth-to-power, finger-in-the-man's-eye. Which, I imagine, is why the lady had it on her car. To show us all how open minded she is, and how stuffy facts and people who know stuff are.

I agree. Imagination is important.

On the other hand, imagination without knowledge is mere amusement.

I could better go along with
Imagination is as important as knowledge
though I'm not sure that's entirely true, either. There is a good bit of truth to it, for sure. Imagination combined with knowledge is the force that allows us to make things out of disparate other things we've made. It allows us to acquire more knowledge by providing synergy with the knowledge we already have.

If we had to choose one, and thank God we don't, I'd have to go with knowledge. Knowledge is, in the end, what we're after. Imagination helps us get more of it.



Imagination without knowledge is mere amusement.

is that a "thing I know"? I'll have to ponder that.

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