"But poets have been challenged to resign the civic crown to reasoners and mechanists on another plea. It is admitted that the exercise of the imagination is most delightful, but it is alleged that that of reason is more useful." -Shelley in "A Defence of Poetry" (Norton, 710)
Last semester I took a course on Worldviews, during which I finally gained a working knowledge of modernism. Through reason we can know the truth about everything? (Simplistic, I know.) I still find it absurd. It would be wonderful if it were true, but I just do not believe it to be true. We cannot possibly see enough and experience enough in our lifetimes to know the truth. Yes, the "exercise of the imagination" IS "most delightful," but I believe that it is also most necessary; necessary to make up for our lack of experience and knowledge. To understand others we must be able to utilize our imagination. And to come up with the fascinating technologies that we cherish so much, we need to utilize imagination (an i-pod doesn't appear out of thin air, you know). I even believe that to love, we need to utilize our imagination.
Reason is all well and good, but I wouldn't poo-poo imagination.
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