Creativity

Paper Summary:

This paper begins by critically reviewing Howard Gardner and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's perspectives on ongoing creativity, pointing out their shortcomings. The writer next discusses Csikszentmihalyi's research on creative flow, and then takes a look at what it means to be a Renaissance man like Leonardo da Vinci. Csikszentmihalyi and Poincare's theories on the way creativity manifests are briefly looked at, and a short overview of evolutionary psychology is given. The writer also discusses the findings of neuroscience on brain structures and systems associated with cognitive functions such as logical ability, mathematical prowess, musical thinking, and spatial relations. From here the paper moves on to computer programs which simulate such functions, and concludes with a short piece on how artificial intelligence can offer useful models of creativity.

From the Paper:

"Creativity is not necessarily qualitative in nature, as Gardner and Csikszentmihalyi suggest. Therefore, creativity is not necessarily expressed in regular intervals over time as with a novelist like Stephen King. A sudden burst of productive inspiration can be tremendously meaningful and wholly representative of the creative process. The burst reflects the mysterious power of the brain and mind to synthesize ideas or generate art and music. Creativity is not measured in volume of output but in quality of output."

Sample of Sources Used:

• University of Southern California. "Enhance Your Well-Being Through Creativity." Retrieved Aug 8, 2008 from http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/assist/article/enhance-your-well-being-through-creativity/
• "Friedrich Nietzsche and his philosophy of the Superman." Retrieved Aug 8, 2008 from http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/philosophy/nietzsche_philosophy.html
• "Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Man." Museum of Science. Retrieved Aug 8, 208 from http://www.mos.org/leonardo/bio.html
• Chamberlin, J. (1998). Reaching ?flow? to optimize work and play. APA Online. Retrieved Aug 8, 2008 from http://www.apa.org/monitor/jul98/joy.html
• Cosmides, L. & Tooby. J. (1997). Evolutionary Psychology: A Primer. Center for Evolutionary Psychology. Retrieved Aug 8, 2008 from http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/primer.html

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