The Philosophy Café

The Philosophy Café at Harvard Book Store is a monthly gathering meant for the informal, relaxed, philosophical discussion of topics of mutual interest to participants. No particular expertise is required to participate, only a desire to explore philosophy and its real-world applications. More information can be found at www.philocafe.org.

The Philosophy Café is held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 in the Used Book department on the lower level of Harvard Book Store.

Creativity: The History of a Concept

A discussion of the history and philosophy of the concept of creativity. 

How and why has creativity emerged as a highly-valued concept in modern society?  To what extent was creativity understood, studied and valued in earlier centuries?  Was creativity important in classical Greek philosophy?  How do different world religions approach the idea of human creativity?  In periods where creativity was not specifically studied or valued, what related concepts were important instead?

In this discussion, we will start with the idea that creativity is a modern concept that emerged gradually since the Renaissance, becoming an important value in modern society in the past one or two centuries.   The word “creativity” itself entered the English language in the 1870s.  The concept of people as creative beings apparently did not appear in Western writings until the 1500s.  Earlier thought focused on the inspiration and workmanship that produced art, music and poetry, but not on the idea of humans as creative beings.

Three themes underlie the modern emergence of the ideal of creativity:

1.) Creativity and Innovation:  The emergence of market economies, technological growth and emphasis on innovation led to a focus on human creativity.  Leonardo da Vinci’s dedication to art, design, engineering and innovation marks the beginning of the modern concept of creativity.   Today, there are countless books, media and workshops about creativity and innovation in business, technology and the arts.

2.) Creativity and the Evolutionary Process: The emerging understanding of evolution and natural selection provided a model of understanding the process of creation and creativity.   Darwin wrote about this concept, as have William James, B.F. Skinner, Donald Campbell, Dean Keith Simonton and others.

3.) Creativity as an Affirmation of Humanity:  In contrast, the impersonal nature of modern economies and the oppression of colonialism have led to a celebration of creativity as an affirmation of humanity.  Creativity is a theme in Africana philosophy and in Existentialism, especially in the writings of Nietzsche and Kierkegaard.

Bridging these views, Philosophy Café participant Bob Doyle (author of “Free Will” and of the website “The Information Philosopher” (http://informationphilosopher.com) writes about creativity as a reflection of biological and cosmological creative process, and as evidence of free will.  In this approach, it is both a natural process and an affirmation of freedom and humanity. 

In current business literature, experts on creativity and innovation often write about “myths vs. facts” about creativity, such as the following approach:

• Creativity is NOT something magical…
• Creativity does NOT depend on “muses” or other external (divine) inspiration
• You do NOT have to be “born” creative
• Creativity IS a skill that anyone can learn
• Creative thinking IS a systematic process of incubating, generating, evaluating and selecting ideas
• Companies can structure their work environments and work teams to encourage creativity and innovation.

In contrast, many arts-oriented or child-development-oriented approaches to creativity present creativity as an alternative to more career-oriented, industrialized, digitized approaches to work, education and daily life.  These approaches emphasize nurturing creative thinking skills, creating an environment that allows free thought and providing natural, creativity-enhancing tools and toys to support creativity.  Very similar practical advice is found in the “business-innovation” and “art-natural creativity” approaches to creativity, even with different “flavors” to the concept.

Areas to Consider:

Early Concepts:

Craftsmanship– Many religious and cultural traditions emphasized craftsmanship as a highly valued act.  Art and craftsmanship were generally seen as a reflection of the beauty of the created world, following rules handed down from one generation to another.  

Plato's Aesthetics– In Aesthetics, Plato explored beauty, art and imitation and explored different aspects of inspiration, art and the importance of beauty.

Imagination-- Islamic philosopher Ibn Al-Arabi (1165– 1240)wrote of the importance of both the imagination and the rational mind in thought and religion, suggesting that human imagination is limitless. Al-Arabi wrote about imagination and art as the response of “the created to the creator.”

Creation as a process– North African bishop Augustine of Hippo (354-430) explored alternative interpretations of the creation stories in the book of Genesis. He wrote that people should not limit their understanding of creation to current science, and suggested an evolution-like creation process, with God creating space and time in an instant and with the “earth bringing forth” new species in a gradual, evolution-like process.

Renaissance / Da Vinci:

Leonardo da Vinci is often held as a model of the creative process. Da Vinci is noted for many creativity-building approaches:

- looking for connections among subjects (art, science, engineering),

- exercises to connect left & right hemispheres of brain (physical exercises, using non-dominant hand, juggling, mirror writing)

- emphasizing physical fitness

- looking for patterns in ashes (clouds, shadows, walls, etc.)

- extensive use of notebooks and sketches

Existentialism / Nietzsche:(FROM http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/)

Nietzsche identifies a strongly instinctual, wild, amoral, “Dionysian” energy within pre-Socratic Greek culture as an essentially creative and healthy force. Surveying the history of Western culture since the time of the Greeks, Nietzsche laments over how this Dionysian, creative energy had been submerged and weakened as it became overshadowed by the “Apollonian” forces of logical order and stiff sobriety. He concludes that European culture since the time of Socrates has remained one-sidedly Apollonian, bottled-up, and relatively unhealthy.

As a means towards cultural rebirth, he advocates the resurrection and fuller release of Dionysian artistic energies — those which he associates with primordial creativity, joy in existence and ultimate truth. Central to his philosophy is the idea of “life-affirmation,” which involves an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life's expansive energies, however socially prevalent those views might be.

FOR DISCUSSION:

Do you agree that contemporary society highly values creativity?   Do you agree that creativity is a modern concept?

Do you think the human creative process is similar to the creative processes in cosmology and biology?

Do you think that the modern emphasis on technology and innovation generates an environment that encourages creativity?

What approaches to creativity resonate most with you?  Is it something magical?  Is it a learned skill? 

Have you studied the role of creativity in business and innovation?  The role of creativity in education?  The role of creativity in the arts? 

What ideas preceded the modern concept of creativity?  How is the concept of creativity approached in various religious traditions?   In ancient Greece and other early/ancient societies?

AS YOU THINK ABOUT AND READ ABOUT THIS TOPIC BEFORE THE CAFÉ, please consider different philosophies, religious traditions and historical periods that you have studied.  How have philosophers and others approached the idea of creativity and imagination?

READINGS AND RESOURCES:

There are many resources online and many good books about creativity and innovation, and it would be helpful if you browse a few resources to absorb some key themes.  It also would be very helpful if you prepare for this discussion by looking over some of your own favorite philosophers to see what they have written about creativity.

Wikipedia has good articles on creativity, the creative process and the history of creativity, which provided jumping-off points for many of the ideas in this discussion. The Information Philosopher website has pages on many relevant topics, with links to philosophers who have written about creative thought and free will. 

Information Philosopher Articles:

- Creativity: http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/creativity.html

- Information http://www.informationphilosopher.com/introduction/information/

Wikipedia article on Creativity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity

Creativity Resources:

MIT Media Lab: http://www.media.mit.edu/

Buffalo State - International Center for Studies in Creativity: http://www.buffalostate.edu/creativity/

Books on Creativity (Goodreads book list):  http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/15413.Books_on_Creativity