Appreciative judgment of others’ visions is a distinct talent from originating them

Evidence

Nelson Rockefeller possessed, moreover, a particular type of imagination possessed neither by Smith nor by Roosevelt. It was not the original, creative, shaping imagination of a Robert Moses. But Rockefeller did possess an appreciative imagination of a high order, an ability (rare in itself) to grasp and judge the inspirations of other men—to see them as their creators saw them while they still existed only in their creators’ minds. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 4347

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes ‘appreciative imagination’ — grasping, judging, and actualizing others’ ideas — from ‘original, creative, shaping imagination.’
• XREF: Pairs with ch12 on Moses’ shaping imagination and ch27’s distinction between mass-level genius and local knowledge. — connects to: Astute taste in others excludes what creativity requires — Karl Ove Knausgaard, A Death in the Family, 1332

Broader Connections

• Astute taste in others excludes what creativity requires #expands (0.80) — Karl Ove Knausgaard, A Death in the Family, 1332