Way back in 1931, Albert Einstein famously mused that “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
In saying this, as in so many other ways, Einstein was ahead of his time, since the value of the entity called “the fact” has eroded almost down to nothing in the 82 years since his utterance.
“Knowing stuff” used to be esteemed; smart people were revered and admired for being “learned.” Now, those who use their brains as a repository for facts are merely a quaint curiosity to be exploited on Jeopardy or around a Trivial Pursuit board.
Really, what does anybody truly need to know now? Anything that was, that happened or that is can be referenced in a millisecond or two via Google on your smartphone.
True value these days isn’t in just knowing. And with all due respect to Albert Einstein, even wild-eyed imagination ain’t the shining star it used to be.
These days, the holy grail of intelligence is a double-barreled entity called Curiosity.
Barry Diller, the sage Chairman of IAC and Expedia, may not be today’s answer to Einstein, but in last week’s Bloomberg BusinessWeek, the mega-successful thinker, builder and operator waxed wise in his response to the question: “Are there areas that you wish you knew more about?“
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