Psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, historians - and even scientists themselves - have often tried to decipher the basis for creativity in science. Some have attributed creativity to a special logic, the so-called scientific method, whereas others have pointed to the inspirations of genius or to the inevitable workings of the zeitgeist. Finally, some have viewed scientific breakthroughs as the product of chance, as witnessed in the numerous episodes of serendipity. Too often these four alternative interpretations are seen as mutually exclusive. Yet the central thesis of this book is that the chance, logic, genius, and zeitgeist perspectives can be integrated into a single coherent theory of creativity in science. But for this integration to succeed, change must be elevated to the status of primary cause. Logic, genius and the zeitgeist still have significant roles to play but mainly operate insofar as they enhance, or constrain the operation of a chance combinatorial process.

Explaining Creativity is a comprehensive and authoritative overview of scientific studies on creativity and innovation. Sawyer discusses not only arts like painting and writing, but also science, stage performance, business innovation, and creativity in everyday life. Sawyer's approach is interdisciplinary. In addition to examining psychological studies on creativity, he draws on anthropologists' research on creativity in non-Western cultures, sociologists' research on the situations, contexts, and networks of creative activity, and cognitive neuroscientists' studies of the brain.

Scientists are famous for believing in the proven and peer-accepted, the very ground that pioneering artists often subvert; they recognize correct and incorrect where artists see only true and false. And yet in some individuals, crossover learning provides a remarkable kind of catalyst to innovation that sparks the passion, curiosity, and freedom to pursue--and to realize--challenging ideas in culture, industry, society, and research. This book is an attempt to show how innovation in the "post-Google generation" is often catalyzed by those who cross a conventional line so firmly drawn between the arts and the sciences. David Edwards describes how contemporary creators achieve breakthroughs in the arts and sciences by developing their ideas in an intermediate zone of human creativity where neither art nor science is easily defined. These creators may innovate in culture, as in the development of new forms of music composition (through use of chaos theory), or, perhaps, through pioneering scientific investigation in the basement of the Louvre. They may innovate in research institutions, society, or industry, too. Sometimes they experiment in multiple environments, carrying a single idea to social, industrial, and cultural fruition by learning to view traditional art-science barriers as a zone of creativity that Edwards calls artscience. Through analysis of original stories of artscience innovation in France, Germany, and the United States, he argues for the development of a new cultural and educational environment, particularly relevant to today's need to innovate in increasingly complex ways, in which artists and scientists team up with cultural, industrial, social, and educational partners.

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"Genius. Invention. Talent. And, of course, creativity. These words describe the highest levels of human performance. When we're engaged in the act of being creative, we feel we are performing at the peak of our abilities. Creative works give us insight and enrich our lives. Creativity is part of what makes us human. Our nearest relatives, chimpanzees and other primates, are often quite intelligent but never reach these high levels of performance"--

This book offers a multidisciplinary and multi-domain approach to the most recent research results in the field of creative thinking and creativity, authored by renowned international experts. By presenting contributions from different scientific and artistic domains, the book offers a comprehensive description of the state of the art on creativity research. Specifically, the chapters are organized into four parts: 1) Theoretical Aspects of Creativity; 2) Social Aspects of Creativity; 3) Creativity in Design and Engineering; 4) Creativity in Art and Science. In this way, the book becomes a necessary platform for generative dialogue between disciplines that are typically divided by separating walls.

The World is Confronted by pressing problems that continue to challenge science and will only he solved using maginative, new approaches . But learning to think innovatively requires practice. This workbook. Which Serves as a Companion to Roberta Ness's Innovation Generation: How to Produce Creative and Useful Scientitic ideas, addresses topics ranging from becoming a kcener obsever and asking the right questions to testing your ideas, overcoming the stodginess of science, and creating an innovatin incubator. It will help you acquire the toels to overcome problems large and small --

Creativity was long thought to be a gift from the muses, a special quality of a select minority of people. Fortunately, more recent studies have debunked this belief and have shown promise for techniques to help us all boost our creative potential. Nature gives some people a genetic edge, but nurture has a large role in developing creative genius. In this eBook, we look at this difficult-to-define quality from all angles: where creativity comes from, lessons we can learn from creative geniuses and how to cultivate creativity. In "The Unleashed Mind," Shelley Carson writes that genetic variations may make some people more open to thoughts or ideas that get stuck in the average person's mental filters – and these variations may also explain why creative people exhibit eccentric behavior, or even suffer from mental illness. On the nurture side, Dean Keith Simonton illustrates in "The Science of Genius" that training and exposure to unfamiliar ideas and experiences play essential roles in shaping creativity. In "Your Fertile Brain at Work," Evangelia G. Chrysikou looks at how breaking down established ways of looking at the world and encouraging unconscious thought processes can increase creative potential. Several stories discuss the role of dreams and imagination, including "Answers While You Sleep," in which Deirdre Barrett writes that thinking of specific dilemmas before bed increases the chances of dreaming a solution. In "Let Creativity Soar," Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and a panel of experts address other powerful techniques for cultivating creativity. We hope that these techniques, and this eBook as a whole, will help unleash your own creative self.