Evolving concepts of creativity:A mirror,a tightrope andan inkblot

Ron ChrisleyCOGSDepartment of InformaticsUniversity of Sussex

Workshop on Evolving Views of CreativityUniversity of Sussex, May 31st 2006

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Research/Practise

Teaching/Learning Innovation/Enterprise

Internal/External

Reflexive/Transitive

Creativity in the University

Recap of today

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Recap from today

• Maggie Boden: Ideas that are new, surprising, and valuable

• Celia Hunt: The inner freedom to play to a purpose

• Julia Fallon: Harnessing innovation• Ben Martin: Importance of the (knowledge) environment

• Kim Lasky: Transcending the constraints of our language

• Justine Johnstone: Conceptual development: Alternative methodologies and inference methods for problem solving

A balancing act

• Recurring theme: Creativity as salutary opposition

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Dimensions of tension

• Self/Environment• Intuitive/Conceptual• Blue-sky/Applied• Novel/Familiar• Chaos/Order• Disconnection/Engagement

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Self/Environment

• Hunt: Freedom, independence from environment

• Martin: Nevertheless, some environments facilitate creativity better than others

• Environment includes other, creative people

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Intuitive/Conceptual

• Lasky: Need to transcend limitations of language/conceptual scheme

• Johnstone, Boden: But these new regimes themselves have norms, conceptual structure

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Blue-Sky/Applied

• Boden, Hunt et al: Genuinely novel ideas

• Fallon, Hunt et al: But creativity is (often) directed, for a purpose: Harnessing innovation

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Chaos/Order

• Boden: Want novelty -- randomness is a way to achieve that

• Boden: But want something of value, too

• Peter Childs: Ordered entropy

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• Me: Seeking the "subjective edge of chaos"

Disconnection/Engagement

• Brian Cantwell Smith: Intentionality ("aboutness") is in the "middle distance"– Partial disconnection– "How can I miss you if you won't go away?"

• Hunt: So also for creativity

Over to you…

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