Q: In most professions and academic fields, imagination is more important than knowledge.

Imagination is often touted as the distinctive capability that engenders virtually every success. Innovative professionals, and erudite scholars who made grandiose achievements in their fields are presented to have had one “uracha moment” which led to an important discovery. However, a detailed look at their lives, often reveals a strong predilection for knowing more. While a thought spark may have been responsible for putting it all together, it is the fact that the brain had sufficient building blocks of knownledge that those moments become realised. Thus, knowledge is fundamental to imagination, and somewhat more important to virtually all professions.

Success in most professions requires a great deal of knowledge. Biographies of great scholars and professionals, have shown an avid desire to acquire knowledge. For example, Bill Gates, perhaps the most successful modern day entrepreneur, is known to read a different book every week. And when he asked about about his secret to success, he recommends that people read books. Without knowledge how do we know what to imagine? Many other great professionals and academics often describe the process of making a discovery as the sum total of what you know. Thus, the more one knows, the more one can imagine.

While one may not be aspiring to be elitist in their profession, knowledge’s quality as a transferrable entity sprawling on the library shelfs, makes it possible for it to be shared amongst each other - in fact, universities and colleges exists for this reason. Without the elucidation and documentation of the works of those before us, we would ignorantly reinvent the wheel for millenials to come. When the next generation comes, we pass on them what we have know, and perhaps unwittingly imagined. Consequently, they go ahead to more successful than we were. Therefore, knowledge is of crucial to our survival as a species.

Furthermore, we depend on knowledge to gain a certain amount of inclusion in our professions, without necessarily being the greatest contributors to the field. Through leaning on the knowledge of others, it is possible for one do well and be a useful member of society. As an example, entry level jobs are created today so as to give people with minimal experience in a field an opportunity to learn from the experts, and become one themselves. Over, time the tyros, become the experts after undergoing rigorous trainings, hands-on experience, and mentoring.

Imagination is truly an important component of every field. Revolutionaries may even impute their greatest success to those pivotal moments when an idea seemingly jumps at them. But it is clear that knowledge is the foundation of their successes, without which there is no imagination. Our intellectual progress, and our individual socio-economic value hinges on knowledge. Thus, knowledge is all the more important than imagination in most professions.