2016 – 7th Grade National 4th Place Winner

Rozlynn Mathison, Minnesota.

Imagination or Knowledge, which has a greater impact on society?

“Nothing in this world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” -Martin Luther King Jr. When you don’t have education it can be dangerous. People that aren’t well educated can end up being a threat to society. If more people were educated they would learn what’s going on in the world and what’s really important to be worrying about. Although some may believe that imagination is better, it can be argued that knowledge has a greater impact on society.

Knowledge can help predict and prepare for the future, by using what happened in the past. After what happened on 9/11, airports added more security to prevent and prepare for more incidents like 9/11. Additionally, people can predict what's going to happen by using what they learned from the past. People can also use what they learn from the past to stop them from repeating the same thing. This shows that knowledge of the past can also really help with the present and the future. “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” -George Santayana.

Knowledge is power; when someone is well educated they usually end up more powerful than someone who isn’t well educated. One example is that when there were slaves in the south, white people and slave owners did not educated them, like how to read and write. They didn’t educate them because the whites didn't want them to be more powerful and be a part of the government and overpower the whites. Clearly, people believe that knowledge is power.

On the other hand, people who think imagination is better and has a greater impact on society, might argue that everything starts with an idea, and to make ideas you need imagination. So their main point is always, you need imagination to create the idea. Or that knowledge is limited and imagination has no limits. Although knowledge may be thought to be limited, it can still take you everywhere in life. Also knowledge can help you get a better job, that will pay better, imagination can’t help you get a job. Furthermore, knowledge makes the idea a reality, imagination can’t do that.

There are many ways knowledge is better, and has a greater impact on society. Knowledge keeps the world sane, without it the world would be crazy and out of control. Knowledge ramifies into many different groups, but imagination doesn’t. Obviously, knowledge has a greater impact on society for many reasons. So in conclusion, knowledge is better because knowledge is power and helps everyone, everyday, and everywhere.

 

 

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