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The Origins of Creativity
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
8 posts | 4 read | 12 to read
An eloquent exploration of creativity, The Origins of Creativity grapples with the question of how this uniquely human expressionso central to our identity as individuals and, collectively, as a speciescame about and how it has manifested itself throughout the history of our species. In this profound and lyrical book, one of our most celebrated biologists offers a sweeping examination of the relationship between the humanities and the sciences: what they offer to each other, how they can be united, and where they still fall short. Both endeavours, Edward O. Wilson reveals, have their roots in human creativitythe defining trait of our species. Reflecting on the deepest origins of language, storytelling, and art, Wilson demonstrates how creativity began not ten thousand years ago, as we have long assumed, but over one hundred thousand years ago in the Paleolithic age. Chronicling this evolution of creativity from primate ancestors to humans, The Origins of Creativity shows how the humanities, spurred on by the invention of language, have played a largely unexamined role in defining our species. And in doing so, Wilson explores what we can learn about human nature from a surprising range of creative endeavorsthe instinct to create gardens, the use of metaphors and irony in speech, and the power of music and song. Our achievements in science and the humanities, Wilson notes, make us uniquely advanced as a species, but also give us the potential to be supremely dangerous, most worryingly in our abuse of the planet. The humanities in particular suffer from a kind of anthropomorphism, encumbered by a belief that we are the only species among millions that seem to matter, yet Wilson optimistically reveals how researchers will have to address this parlous situation by pushing further into the realm of science, especially fields such as evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and anthropology. With eloquence and humanity, Wilson calls for a transformational "Third Enlightenment," in which the blending of these endeavors will give us a deeper understanding of the human condition and our crucial relationship with the natural world.
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Erdnase
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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4/5 - How does humanities affect science? E.O Wilson does a masterful job composing complex arguments for the necessity of Humanities in a culture primarily dominated by science. Wilson provides an insightful journey from our "Origins of Creativity" to the modern digital era with many interesting examples that will keep you engaged and thinking. #nonfiction #november #nonfictionnovember #NFN2020

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Booksnchill
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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My latest read in my year-long study of Creativity. Edward O. Wilson, winner of the Pulitzer and biologist and naturalist particularly enamored of ants, posits that in this age of science we need to restore the humanities in order to fully understand the origin of our species- the role of language and other creative expression is a necessary key, with science but not lesser than, to our full understanding of why we are what we are. Fascinating.

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Booksnchill
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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My next creativity read and what is on my easel today- our Stones River Greenway in drier days! #CreativityProject2019

BookishMarginalia Beautiful! 5y
candority Wow, that‘s lovely! 5y
TheSpineView Lovely water color. 5y
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Booksnchill @candority very kind of you to say💖 5y
Booksnchill @TheSpineView that is my favorite medium - thank you🎨 (edited) 5y
Tanisha_A Beautiful! 5y
74 likes7 comments
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CaitlinR
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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Pickpick

Philosophy from a biologist, what could be better?

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Tjackson
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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What is creative literature??? A great question!!!

CoffeeK8 💖 this! 6y
7 likes1 comment
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Tjackson
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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Starting out another cold day with the ritual of reading. My reading is all over the map at the moment. I‘m actively reading five different books with two nearly finished. This is what I started late last night and excited to get through the first couple chapters today. Throughout the day I‘ll return to my other books and hopefully finish them this weekend. This is what happens when one is under the weather and it‘s really cold outside.

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NerdyRev
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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I have a wonderful career where I can self study at times with a budget to buy books for those self studies. Here are the ebooks I purchased. The book books are on the way. This time it is creativity/brain, PTSD, death, and church stuff. Little known fact- funeral directors tend to be the best joke and storytellers. True fact.

Titania What a great selection of books! I'm a huge fan of Caleb Wilde (especially his blog and Facebook presence). He has delicious, dark humor, but he also has a great message to share. 6y
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speljamr
The Origins of Creativity | Edward O. Wilson
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I love Edward O. Wilson's writing. This just seriously got added to the #TBRtemptation list.

Libby1 That William Blake illustration on the cover ❤️. 6y
RadicalReader @speljamr I adore the wonderful incredible artwork on this book cover. Wonder how many people have book artwork as their lock screen?! 6y
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