Book Review - Smart World by Richard Ogle
Category Book Review
When I ran across the book Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity And the New Science of Ideas by Richard Ogle, I was intrigued. The "extended mind" concept, the idea that creativity is more than just what's in your head, is something that would change the way I think about how new concepts are formed. Generally speaking, the book delivers on the premise. Although there are places where it seems to get more conceptual than practical...
Contents: The Mystery of Breakthrough Creativity; Outing the Mind; Spaces to Think With; Genius, Imagination, and the Nature of Mind; The Fools on the Hill; Darwinian Networks, or Why the Fit Get Fitter; The Mathematical Ecology of Creativity; Sex and the Single Doll; Think Different; The Networked Dynamics of Risk; The Triumph of the Imagination; Robots, Poets, and the Law of Minimal Effort; Leadership, Imagination, and the Art of the Long Bet; Notes; Bibliography; Index; About the Author
The core concept (at least in my mind) of this book is the power of networks, of "idea-spaces" that allow seemingly disconnected patterns to form new realities. Ogle uses various examples, such as Crick and Watson figuring out the structure of DNA and Picasso's cubism in his paintings, to show how different idea-spaces influenced the discovery and direction of these individuals. The particular items that became the driving force for these people were there for anyone to see, and in fact many others viewed the same things. But no one else made the combinations and leaps that linked these various concepts in ways that changed the landscape. The story of Crick and Watson is especially revealing for Ogle's premise. Neither Crick or Watson were exceptional in their own research. What they did better than anyone else was to view what others had done, and then synthesize it into a new supposition, going beyond what anyone else had done on their own. So instead of creativity being confined to the focused work of one person, it instead becomes a result of casting a wide net to bring in and merge concepts that may not cross the boundaries on their own.
As I tend to be more pragmatic than theoretical, there were parts of this book that were a bit much for me. Many of the discussions of modern art and what the artists were trying to express seemed to be beyond me. Looking at a fuzzy painting and reading in vast amounts of emotions and meanings doesn't work in this mind. But understanding the rise of the personal computer, as well as how Barbie became a cultural icon were interesting and useful. And seeing my world as a network of idea-spaces is a different twist on how I perceive my environment. I have no doubt that Ogle's ideas will continue to influence the way I think for quite some time...
When I ran across the book Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity And the New Science of Ideas by Richard Ogle, I was intrigued. The "extended mind" concept, the idea that creativity is more than just what's in your head, is something that would change the way I think about how new concepts are formed. Generally speaking, the book delivers on the premise. Although there are places where it seems to get more conceptual than practical...
Contents: The Mystery of Breakthrough Creativity; Outing the Mind; Spaces to Think With; Genius, Imagination, and the Nature of Mind; The Fools on the Hill; Darwinian Networks, or Why the Fit Get Fitter; The Mathematical Ecology of Creativity; Sex and the Single Doll; Think Different; The Networked Dynamics of Risk; The Triumph of the Imagination; Robots, Poets, and the Law of Minimal Effort; Leadership, Imagination, and the Art of the Long Bet; Notes; Bibliography; Index; About the Author
The core concept (at least in my mind) of this book is the power of networks, of "idea-spaces" that allow seemingly disconnected patterns to form new realities. Ogle uses various examples, such as Crick and Watson figuring out the structure of DNA and Picasso's cubism in his paintings, to show how different idea-spaces influenced the discovery and direction of these individuals. The particular items that became the driving force for these people were there for anyone to see, and in fact many others viewed the same things. But no one else made the combinations and leaps that linked these various concepts in ways that changed the landscape. The story of Crick and Watson is especially revealing for Ogle's premise. Neither Crick or Watson were exceptional in their own research. What they did better than anyone else was to view what others had done, and then synthesize it into a new supposition, going beyond what anyone else had done on their own. So instead of creativity being confined to the focused work of one person, it instead becomes a result of casting a wide net to bring in and merge concepts that may not cross the boundaries on their own.
As I tend to be more pragmatic than theoretical, there were parts of this book that were a bit much for me. Many of the discussions of modern art and what the artists were trying to express seemed to be beyond me. Looking at a fuzzy painting and reading in vast amounts of emotions and meanings doesn't work in this mind. But understanding the rise of the personal computer, as well as how Barbie became a cultural icon were interesting and useful. And seeing my world as a network of idea-spaces is a different twist on how I perceive my environment. I have no doubt that Ogle's ideas will continue to influence the way I think for quite some time...
| Permalink |
Comments
Posted by Duffbert At 20:25:21 On 23/07/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Dan Sickles At 22:42:54 On 23/07/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Dan Sickles At 21:46:17 On 22/07/2007 | - Website - |