Training for Creative Thinking

7/28/2019 Training for Creative Thinking

1/32

TRAINING FOR CREATIVE

THINKING-an introduction

SURESHKUMAR.S,SCIENTIST

AND ADVISER ,NIIST


2/32

DEFINITION

ABILITY TO USE THOUGHT AND

IMAGINATION to transcend patternsand relations to CREATE new ideas

and forms


3/32

CREATIVITY&INNOVATION

Essence of value creation in life's situation

Very critical to the innovation process

Innovation is essential in research Basic research should have innovation

content

Innovation index is being evaluatedabroad


4/32

THEORY

Theoretically being related to associative

imagination

Learning also involves association and

imagination

But associative imagination is different

from learning intelligence

Poor learners and scorers can be very

creative


5/32

CREATIVITY PROCESS

Be able to think of UNCONVENTIONAL or

even strange associations

Words, figures and situations act as cues

for imagination

One can train oneself to be creative with

some systematic effort


6/32

AN EXERCISE WITH WORDS

EXAMPLE-connect words like blood and

water, in a sentence, imaginatively

Blood thicker than water-good

Water in place of blood in his body=

EXAMPLE-sky, blood and water

Water from sky red as blood-good Water turning to blood as it pours=


7/32

REPEAT THE EXERCISE

Now repeat with 5 words

Repeat with 15 words, and make a story in

4-5 sentences

Finally repeat with 20-30 words and a

strange ,imaginative story with a moral

You can use images and figures to tell astrange tale- improves learning


8/32

THIN SLICING

observation of the ordinary

Challenge current notions

Imaginative associations-parallels Absence-transcendence

Thinking without thinking

Discriminative logic-mind maps Final derivation


9/32

THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS

Einstein, Schrdinger-good examples

Gravity effects equated to effects due to

acceleration

Acceleration from space-time curvature

Combination of many ideas expressed in

philosophy, science and mathematics


10/32

Schrdinger cat and Maya Vada

Influences from Indian metaphysics

Superposition of states until measured

Cat being dead and alive until observed Analogy with serpent rope state

Extended to entanglement and non-locality

Very strange and counterintuitive Macrostate teleportation


11/32

Seed idea-Mach Principle

All masses in universe interconnected

What affects one will affect the other

Derived from Spinoza's logic-asingularsubstance

Influence from Indian concept of Brahman

or Cosmic Being


12/32

CONCEPT OF FALLOW

Farmers leave their fields fallow after

intense farming

Fallow thinking-regenerates mind

Concentrate,think,read,study and research

intensely for sometime

Then take a vacation,picnic,chat withfriends or browse and while away


13/32

Creative FLASH

When you return you will have a flash

Unconscious working on the implicit

images

Studies in consciousness and cognition

Implicit learning influences cognition

Unconscious manipulation of mentalimages when not disturbed-fallow


14/32

CREATIVITY AND COGNITION

Cognition is related to how we view

ourselves and the world

The beliefs we have about the

phenomenal world comes from images

These cause thought patterns and

emotions

Concept of self affects creativity


15/32

DREAM STATE COGNITION

Scientific studies reveal that there is no

difference in cognition in dreams

Wakeful cognition and dreaming are

unified in brain architecture

Dreams are more imaginative because of

unconscious predominance


16/32

FREE WILL

Some recent neurophysiologic findings are

very surprising-discount free will

Conscious decisions are unconsciously

predetermined

Similarity to our karma theory and destiny

Destiny and time relates events andobjects and situations in universe


17/32

PROCESS PHILOSOPHY

Mathematical philosophers like Whitehead

advocate internalized breath work

Adapted from Sidha Yoga techniques and

based on breathing pattern and rhythm duringsleep

Sleep disorders and poor breathing affects

learning and creativity


18/32

VALUE ANALYSIS AND

ENGINEERING

Very crucial methodology to help in

creative thinking-adapted fromIE

Ask W questions-what,why,what else, why

not, where else, what all, where all, which

is similar, how is it similar/different

Provide leads to ideas, project trials and

trouble-shooting solutions


19/32


20/32

THOUGHT SHOWERS (OR

BRAINSTORMING)ASKING QUESTIONS - WHAT IF?

BLOCKING AND BLOCK-BUSTING

RANDOM WORD OR RANDOM PICTURE

USING CHECKLISTS

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

CHALLENGE IT

CREATIVE PARALLELSCONCEPT MAPS OR BUZZ MAPS

MIND MAPPING (REF:TONY BUZAN)


21/32

INCREMENTAL INNOVATIONS

Usually used for tinkering research in

industry

But equally suited to disruptive

technologies

Paradigm shifts needed in recession

Known as constructive destruction


22/32

TECHNO-ECONOMIC CYCLES

Schumpeterian economic cycles every few

decades-70-80 years

Closely followed by Kondratieff long waves

Economic cycles and depression lead to

technology cycles and peaks[5-10 y lag

Cultural millennial cycles-700-900 years


23/32

CREATIVITY AND MOTIVATION

Motivation is intrinsic in nature

Maslow`s theory of self-actualization

Was a spiritualist who believed in Indianconcept of self-realization

Creative people not worried about extrinsic

satisfaction,award/rewards


24/32

MENTAL FACULTIES AND

CREATIVITY

Ego,intellect,discrimination and pure

consciousness states of mind-Varnas

Self-actualization corresponds to latter

states-sense of equity and justice

Studies reveal that creative people are

spontaneous,forthcoming,free going, and

less amenable external discipline


25/32

LEADERSHIP

Creativity management based on

sustainable leadership

Task-behavior types/malevolent-

benevolent types

Intuitve-perceptive,introvert-

extrovert,sensing-judging types

Sustainable leadership based on extended

self concept


26/32

CONCEPT OF SELF SYSTEMS

There is no brain neural circuitry as such

for localised self notions-learnt notion

Brain architecture for extended self

systems-oneness with surroundings

Studies by scientists[Strawson,Galen]

reveal pure conscious states

Similar to Self as one with Cosmic Being

notions of Indian metaphysics


27/32

PHENOMENOLOGY

Extended self has become a disparate

localised self due to phenomenology

Phenomenology is part of conscious

cognition of world through senses and

intellect

Pure consciousness and extended

universal self is a process back to Being


28/32

PERCEPTIONS OF REALITY

This is very crucial for sustainable

leadership

We project mental images onto world as

part of phenomenology and sensing

Reality not knowable through reason as

observed by Kant

Discrimination, and transcendence [pure

consciousness] is essential


29/32

PHILOSOPHER -KING

This brings us to the concept of

philosopher king in Indian philosophy

Sustainable leaders mange creative

people

Extended self notions needed for it

Comes from pure consciousness states of

absence-also helps in creative thinking


30/32

HOME WORK

I was cleaning my overhead tank[sintex]

water with very fine particles of clayey

red mud settles down Forms fibers clinging to tank walls

These are somewhat rubbery and

polymeric What ideas,projects,processes or products

can you derive from this experience


31/32

ONE EXAMPLE OF IDEATION

Nanoporous materials with good gasabsorption

Problem of atmospheric carbonscavenging

Can it be functionalized to sequestercarbon, chemical scavenging

Decay to soil or ecofriendly productwhen UV irradiated, phototransformation


32/32

THANK YOU

Documents

Training for Creative Thinking