Limitations of Greatness

LEOPARDI RESPONSE

1. “A great truth it is, but one worth contemplating. Reason is the enemy of everything great; reason is the enemy of nature; nature is great and reason is small. What I mean is the more likely a man is dominated by reason, the less chance or the more difficulty he will have in being great. Few can achieve greatness (perhaps none in art or poetry) unless they are ruled by illusions. This is so because the things we deem great—a difficult undertaking, for example--- lie ordinarily outside the order of things and amount to a kind of disorder. Now this disorder is condemned by reason. Example: the great enterprise of Alexander- an illusion.”

I decided to respond to this extract because I can identify with it as an artist. This extract basically talks about how reason is a limitation to the potential of humankind and how imagination is greatness. Reason refers to logic, greatness refers to success and nature refers to man. I agree that reason/logic is a small idea which may pose as a limitation in certain situations whereas imagination unlocks a wider range of perspectives, ideas and approaches to situations. Even one of the worlds most logical figures, Albert Einstein said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination would take you everywhere” even though his field of study was one that functioned on the tables of logic.

In my opinion, logic may oppose the forces of illusion and imagination, but logic isn’t necessarily an enemy of nature neither does it hinder the prospect of greatness. My argument on the apparent limitations of logic would be endless if I consider its actual limitation on the concept of greatness because the term “greatness” cannot distinctly be defined. Instead, I would narrow my argument on greatness down to the limitations of logic on success. Nature itself hinders its own success- in this case; the form of nature being referred to is man. Logic may reduce the available methods of achieving a goal but it doesn’t completely block out the possibility of accomplishing that goal.

I would like to use the invention of aircrafts by the Wright brothers as my example to illustrate the role of logic and imagination in greatness/success. Imagination provided the platform for the idea; logic made it fly. Without the facts of science and logic, aircrafts would have just been a dream and without the creativity of imagination, aircrafts would have been a ridiculous and impossible suggestion.

Conclusively, in the world of logic, logic would make you great and in the world of illusion, imagination makes you great. However, in reality, the world is a mix of both so, generally, a healthy balance of both fields would lead to indisputable greatness. In this prospect, I disagree with the idea that reason makes greatness more difficult to achieve. At times, it may be difficult to differentiate between logic and illusion in everyday life situations, but at every point in time where greatness was achieved, both “reason” and “illusion” lead to ultimate greatness.