Imagination Unevolved

"Logic will get you from A-Z, imagination will get you everywhere." --Albert Einstein 

 'Tis very probable, that visions, enchantments, and all extraordinary effects of that nature, derive their credit principally from the power of imagination, working and making its cliiefest impression upon vulgar and more easy souls, whose belief is so strangely imposed upon, as to think they see what they do not see."--Michel de Montaigne

The above quotes show two very opposing ideas of imagination. Albert Einstein speaks of an imagination that is more familiar to those belonging to my generation. While it almost pains me to add to the myriad of blogs that have employed the term "millennial," reading "The Power of Imagination" by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) confirmed that the difference between our values, our ideals, and even our definitions to that of this 16th century philosopher are vast. To me, imagination is vital to life. One cannot be entrepreneurial, unique, "out of the box," or any of the other buzz words that people press upon this generation without a healthy imagination.

Before reading "The Power of Imagination," I had expected a text that would speak to relate to my own idea of imagination. Perhaps it would also warn of its ability to make ourselves become lost in day dreams, or to caution against bearing the struggle that is the life of the artist. In my world, imagination is always spoken of as a sacred substance, a gift given to children that is all too easily lost, leading to a life wasted by cheap office clothing, suburbia, and dashing the dreams of your offspring.

Montaigne's description of the power of imagination went in a somewhat different direction. He began to describe what I suppose we could call extreme empathetic hypochondria. You hear of an illness, and suddenly become sick with it. You are read you death order, and you die. You dream of horns growing on your head, and wake up looking like a very surly Daniel Radcliffe in a indy horror film.

Montaigne then delves into an angry ode to his unreliable erection, his primary example of how our bodies respond in ways in which we cannot control. This too, is due to the power of imagination. A King can marry a beautiful woman, yet not be able to "enjoy her" until he prays to Venus. Montaigne himself got a friend through his wedding night by prescribing a ritual involving repeating words three times and tying ribbons around himself. Montaigne explains the power of these solutions:

"These ape's tricks are the main of the effect, our fancy being so far seduced as to believe that strange means must, of necessity, proceed from such abstruse science: their very inanity gives them weight and reverence."

Of course, it's also women's fault:

 "Now women are to blame to entertain us with that disdainful, coy, and angry countenance, which extinguishes our vigor as it kindles our desire..."

(coming from the guy who said this)

Montaigne charmingly elaborates his point by referring to a man who could "break wind in tune," and, somewhat more poetically, noting:

"We do not command our hairs to stand on end, nor our skin to shiver either with fear or desire; the hands often convey themselves to parts to which we do not direct them; the tongue will be interdict, and the voice congealed, when we know not how to help it."

At this point in the reading, though I'm starting to feel like my younger brother and Montaigne might get along very well, I resign myself to understanding that to Montaigne, imagination is a completely different substance than the imagination of the 21st century. Merriam Webster defines imagination as:

: the ability to imagine things that are not real : the ability to form a picture in your mind of something that you have not seen or experienced

: the ability to think of new things

: something that only exists or happens in your mind

This definition rings true for me, but I don't think it would to Montaigne. To me, and I think to many in our generation, imagination is the thing that lays the foundation for meaningful action. Steve Jobs could not have created the iPhone without imagining a world that was dramatically changed by its introduction. The United Nations have been created without someone imagining the peace that could emerge from a more connected world. Vince Gilligan could not have created Breaking Bad without imagining a chemistry teacher and a high-school failure creating a bluer kind of meth. This type of imagination build stories, prompts action, and changes the world. Montaigne's imagination is more likely to earn a trip to a psychiatrist.