“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” –Albert Einstein
The humanities are more than a field of knowledge; the humanities provide us with a vibrant chronicle of human imagination—our stories, songs, and spirituals, our moments of great enlightenment, our boldest experiments, as well as our deep regrets and failures. In addition to exploring the best and worst of our collective history, the humanities, specifically the public humanities, can also be the catalysts that help us imagine our collective future: how do we deal with the persistent challenges, cultural chasms, and radical changes that we face as communities, as a nation, and as a planet?
The 2008 conference, which takes place in the heart of our democracy just a few days after a major national election, will celebrate the infinite possibilities inherent in an era of unprecedented transition. As we simultaneously strive to tear down cultural barriers, we are in the process of fortifying national borders. As we look for innovative approaches to the growing domestic problems facing health care, education and the, we also must seek imaginative ways to quell political instability and cultural violence abroad. As we struggle to increase literacy, enhance public education, and promote the classical ideas of the humanities in our own nation, American pop culture (which some call “low culture”) infiltrates nearly every nook and cranny on the planet. What challenges do these seemingly incongruous and simultaneous changes bring us as state councils? What opportunities do they present?
With the breakneck pace of social, political and technological change often underscored by the hyperbolic shout of media, we can often feel as if we are living in a world plunged into chaos. As state humanities councils, we have both the power and the mandate to inspire visionary leadership and revolutionary ideas. But to do that, we have to inspire the kind of imaginative and innovative thinking that our national history and heritage so often celebrate. The 2008 National Humanities Conference will aim to inspire the imagination of our community of state councils: do we see ourselves as organizations that simply react to change after change, or do we see ourselves as entities that inspire new waves of thinking, diverse ways of seeing, and an optimistic and progressive sense of civic engagement? Can we imagine a world where our programs help us create vibrant, diverse communities out of seeming chaos?