“We rarely know an explicit formula that tells us what to do in a complex situation. We have to work out what to do by thinking through the possibilities in ways that are simultaneously imaginative and realistic, and not less imaginative when more realistic. Knowledge, far from limiting imagination, enables it to serve its central function.”
“Sometimes the only honest response to a question is “I don’t know.” In recognizing that, one may rely just as much on imagination, because one needs it to determine that several competing hypotheses are equally compatible with one’s evidence.”
- Timothy Williamson, Reclaiming the Imagination
It’s OK if you don’t know everything…
Now read: how do we know what we think we know?
Tags: Ben Folds, Imagination, NY Times, Opinionator, Social Sciences, Timothy Williamson
September 16, 2010 at 6:06 pm |
Nice entry.
I’ve been reading extensively about Mary Douglas and her followers, on cultural Theory
Who’s behind Fourcultures?
Cheers,
Charles