 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
It is not only in the arts and in the refining of human relations that imagination is valuable. In the purest and driest parts of science it is as necessary as in lyric poetry. I am saying this by way of preliminary, since a great part of what I shall have to say will be concerned with the misfortune and anguish that unfounded imaginative beliefs have brought upon mankind from the dawn of history to the present day.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 4: Myth and Magic, n.2
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Everyone possesses some degree of thinking ability and imagination. The issue is the extent of these qualities. Very few people combine extraordinary logical thinking ability with rich imagination, like Einstein.
What about Prime Minister Ishiba? As someone serving as Prime Minister, he must have thinking abilities above the average person. However, there are times when he says things that contradict what he said previously, or seems to forget what he has said. This suggests that not only is his "logical" thinking ability not particularly strong, but he also appears to have some issues with his memory.
For a political leader, it is not enough to have thinking abilities alone; they also need the sensitivity to empathize with the weak. Furthermore, it is essential that this sensitivity is supported by imagination?the ability to envision such people even when they are not directly in front of them. However, Prime Minister Ishiba seems to lack this kind of imagination as well.
What motivated Prime Minister Ishiba to become a politician? People who have witnessed many unfortunate individuals up close and decided to enter politics to help such people inspire hope. However, one-third of LDP members are hereditary politicians. If they have considered becoming a politician as "one of the promising career options" from a young age and only started thinking about what to do after entering politics, it is unlikely they will develop a strong passion for helping those in distress.
Is it due to my lack of "sensitivity" or "imagination" that I feel most politicians fall into this category?
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