Practical imagination

Creativity versus imagination

Creativity typically refers to applied problem-solving, often operationalized through practical techniques. It is possible to train creativity like a muscle—to generate novelty through recombination, transformation or adaptive iteration. Creativity thrives within constraint and is usually focused on producing outcomes.... See more

Practical imagination refers to the human capacity to project beyond immediate perception, navigate contradiction and generate meaning in conditions of uncertainty. It is not merely an extension of creativity nor a decorative faculty confined to the arts. Rather, it is a foundational dimension of cognition, culture and collective life—shaping how i... See more

If the Enlightenment was a revolution in thinking, the survival of the human species may well depend on a revolution in imagination. This revolution would not center reason and mastery, but interdependence, care and the capacity to imagine otherwise. It would demand that we challenge what we think is possible, not through extrapolation, but through... See more

Designers and strategists working toward preferable futures must recognize that technical forecasting and trend analysis are not enough. Imagination is what allows alternatives to emerge—alternatives that are often suppressed by dominant narratives of innovation, growth and inevitability. When imagination is reclaimed as a civic and political capac... See more

In this sense, practical imagination demands more than creativity—it requires refusal. It requires the courage to disrupt comfortable assumptions, to surface repressed histories and suppressed worldviews and to create friction against linear narratives of progress. It also demands relational thinking: a capacity to hold contradictions, to imagine a... See more

The firm as an engine of imagination”, Bronk and Beckert argue that corporations are not just economic entities but producers of imaginaries.

Creativity typically refers to applied problem-solving, often operationalized through practical techniques. It is possible to train creativity like a muscle—to generate novelty through recombination, transformation or adaptive iteration. Creativity thrives within constraint and is usually focused on producing outcomes. Imagination, however, is some... See more

Imagination, in this light, becomes a foundational asset—not just for speculative design or cultural expression, but for shaping the next generation of institutions and business models. It enables a shift from reactive, short-term thinking to proactive, regenerative strategies that can thrive in complexity and uncertainty. For entrepreneurs committ... See more

If the Enlightenment was a revolution in thinking, the survival of the human species may well depend on a revolution in imagination. This revolution would not center reason and mastery, but interdependence, care and the capacity to imagine otherwise. It would demand that we challenge what we think is possible, not through extrapolation, but through... See more