View article

It is hard to avoid the term creativity. It is one of the most used and abused of terms–at one moment invoked to praise a specific technical skill, at another uttered in the most vague and casual manner. In any newspaper or magazine we pick up, we are able to read about the creative work of film directors, actresses, novelists, musicians, singers and all manner of celebrities. Now a staple byword of the discourse of advertising, we’re told about creative promotions and campaigns, and about the personnel awarded for their creative contributions to the industry. The term is used by teachers in their encouragement of children to express themselves, expand and grow, and by management consultants seeking to stimulate lateral thinking at work with the aim of improving company profitability. Scientists are trained to follow set procedures and methods, but cannot properly explain how they have come up with a model or …