Imagination is more important than knowledge

Every man made thing in the world and the knowledge of how to make such things has its origins in the imagination. The first step towards anything that can be created and the knowledge gained from it is by imagining it and then taking the necessary steps towards creating it. Imagination can be said to be the thing which has pushed the human being from the level of an animal to the advanced being that he is today. Without imagination, human beings would not have had the necessary sophistication to allow them to form societies which eventually developed into states and civilizations. The uniqueness of man is based on his ability to imagine the impossible and being able to make it possible through trial and error until he gets it right. Knowledge is a product of the human imagination because it is through the process of trial an error to make what he has imagined a reality that the human being gains knowledge (Steigerwald, J, 924). With this in mind, we shall now look at the reasons why it has been stated that imagination is more important than knowledge. We shall discuss the various aspects that make up imagination and those that make up knowledge and from these; we shall endeavor to determine our conclusion that imagination is more important than knowledge.

In the field of invention, it has been stated that in order for one to invent something, he has to imagine it first. This is especially true of the Wright brothers who even before they invented the very first flying machine, they imagined man having the means to fly. As their designs failed one after the other, their imaginations enabled them to continue to make modifications to their craft until eventually they created their first successful flying machine (Avery, M, 2212). Without their imaginations, they most likely would not have invented the flying machine which until then many had thought was impossible. This invention of the Wright brothers came to change the entire course of human history because others adapted their knowledge of making their flying machine for the creation of even more advanced aircraft. The knowledge of the Wright brothers was used only a few years later during the First World War when aircraft were used to drop bombs on enemy targets. Furthermore, in the second half of the twentieth century, the knowledge that the Wright brothers had used for the creation of their aircraft was further enhanced and used for the development of rockets. These not only enabled man to leave this planet for the first time, but it also enabled him to walk on the moon, a feat which many had only dreamed of and thought was impossible. It is therefore a fact that if the Wright brothers had not dreamed of and imagined themselves flying, then they would not have turned their imaginations into reality. In the process, today, we would still have been very far behind in the technological advancements and achievements which resulted from their invention. The knowledge that came from their imagination is what has turned the world, once considered to be so far apart, to be what is commonly termed as a global village with access to anywhere in the world being only a matter of minutes or hours away. One would therefore say that knowledge is a product of the imagination and because of this, the imagination is more important than knowledge and should be greatly encouraged in society as well as in major organizations (Weick, K, 446).

A government cannot be able to respond to the needs of its people if it lacks the personnel with the imagination to view and predict the changing needs of the society over which it governs (Gogan, J, 453). The development of such a society would cease to continue because its government would not be able to contemplate (imagine) the solutions which are necessary for the society’s problems. Solutions have to be imagined even if there is a wide range of knowledge about a problem because even though one could be knowledgeable about such a problem, one would still be incapable of imagining a solution for it. A good example of this is finding a solution for the drought which tends to occur in the Horn of Africa almost annually. This is an environmental problem which can only be managed if new ideas to alleviate it are introduced in the region and the governments are willing to enforce such ideas, because despite all the knowledge about the drought that has been gathered, very little has been done to deal with it. In order for solutions for such problems to work, governmental officials have to imagine the consequences so that the solutions they put in place can be sustained.

It has been the dream of many people throughout the history of the twentieth century for all the nations of the world to cooperate for the good of mankind. This imagination took the first step into reality with the formation of the League of Nations immediately after the First World War whose purpose was to prevent another war such as that one from ever taking place again. When the League of Nations failed to stop the Second World War from happening, the knowledge which had been gained by the victors of this war concerning its failures was put into good use and its successor, the United Nations was formed. The United Nations has largely succeeded where its predecessor failed due to the knowledge gained from the latter’s failure and its managing to avoid them. From the imagination of nations cooperating, the United Nations has become a reality and its role as an enforcer of peace agreements has ensured that combatants are discouraged from aggressiveness and that human rights are upheld almost everywhere in the world.

In the very competitive business and market environments of today, it has been found that imagination is a key factor in the promotion brands all over the world. Only the most imaginative of advertisements can catch the eye of a consumer and make him want to buy a particular brand of a product. It is common knowledge that most of the components of products are basically the same but it is how these products are branded that encourages a consumer to by only one brand and completely leaves the others. It has been found that the most imaginative type of branding has promotes high sales of a product and it is because of this that advertising agencies work very hard to ensure that they produce only the best. Without imagination, there would be very little competition in the market and as a consequence, manufacturing companies would not strive to improve the quality of their products to increase their sales.

In conclusion, it can be said that imagination has shaped shape our world as it is today. Without it, the human beings would still be at the same level as other animals and not at the top of the food chain as they are today. Knowledge comes about as a result of imagination and in fact, it can be referred to as dead imagination because once it is acquired, there is often very little room for its further development. Imagination is continuously developing and this development is limitless as opposed to knowledge which tends to be stagnant. Knowledge which is said to be true today may not necessarily be so a century from now. Imagination, on the other hand is always developing and new ideas and concepts come into reality every day. It is the means through which further human development can be achieved so long as it is encouraged in all sectors of the society.