May 3, 2015
What is it ? a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed, such as an idea, a scientific theory, an invention, a literary work , a painting, a musical composition, a joke, etc.
In this context, I would like to share an interesting snippet in one of my reads about creativity published in an article at MIT Technology Review, Isaac Asimov Asks, “How Do People Get New Ideas?”
Presumably, the process of creativity, whatever it is, is essentially the same in all its branches and varieties, so that the evolution of a new art form, a new gadget, a new scientific principle, all involve common factors. It is only afterward that a new idea seems reasonable. What is needed is not only people with a good background in a particular field, but also people capable of making a connection between item 1 and item 2 which might not ordinarily seem connected. To begin with, it usually seems unreasonable. It seems the height of unreason to suppose the earth was round instead of flat, or that it moved instead of the sun, or that objects required a force to stop them when in motion, instead of a force to keep them moving, and so on.