---
abstract: "Creativity may be a trait, a state or just a process defined by its products. It can be contrasted with\r\ncertain cognitive activities that are not ordinarily creative, such as problem-solving, deduction,\r\ninduction, learning, imitation, trial-and-error, heuristics and \"abduction,\" however, all of these can be\r\ndone creatively too. There are four kinds of theories, attributing creativity respectively to (1) method,\r\n(2) \"memory\" (innate structure), (3) magic or (4) mutation. These theories variously emphasize the role\r\nof an unconscious mind, innate constraints, analogy, aesthetics, anomalies, formal constraints,\r\nserendipity, mental analogs, heuristic strategies, improvisatory performance and cumulative\r\ncollaboration. There is some virtue in each, but the best model is still the one implicit in Pasteur's\r\ndictum: \"Chance favors the prepared mind.\" And because the exercise and even the definition of\r\ncreativity requires constraints, it is unlikely that \"creativity training\" or an emphasis on freedom in\r\neducation can play a productive role in this preparation. \r\n"
altloc:
- http://www.akademiai.com/content/e101806625n08k25/fulltext.pdf
chapter: ~
commentary: ~
commref: ~
confdates: ~
conference: ~
confloc: ~
contact_email: ~
creators_id: []
creators_name:
- family: Harnad
given: Stevan
honourific: ''
lineage: ''
date: 2007
date_type: published
datestamp: 2001-06-19
department: ~
dir: disk0/00/00/16/27
edit_lock_since: ~
edit_lock_until: 0
edit_lock_user: ~
editors_id: []
editors_name:
- family: Cohen
given: Henri
honourific: ~
lineage: ~
- family: Stemmer
given: Brigitte
honourific: ~
lineage: ~
eprint_status: archive
eprintid: 1627
fileinfo: text/html;http://cogprints.org/1627/1/harnad.creativity.html
full_text_status: public
importid: ~
institution: ~
isbn: ~
ispublished: pub
issn: ~
item_issues_comment: []
item_issues_count: 0
item_issues_description: []
item_issues_id: []
item_issues_reported_by: []
item_issues_resolved_by: []
item_issues_status: []
item_issues_timestamp: []
item_issues_type: []
keywords: "creativity, Pasteur's dictum, novelty, problem solving, deduction, induction, learning, imitation, heuristics, abduction, mind structure"
lastmod: 2011-12-04 17:38:47
latitude: ~
longitude: ~
metadata_visibility: show
note: ~
number: ~
pagerange: 127-137
pubdom: FALSE
publication: 'Consciousness and Cognition: Fragments of Mind and Brain'
publisher: Rodopi
refereed: FALSE
referencetext: ~
relation_type: []
relation_uri: []
reportno: ~
rev_number: 13
series: ~
source: ~
status_changed: 2011-12-04 17:38:47
subjects:
- cog-psy
succeeds: ~
suggestions: ~
sword_depositor: ~
sword_slug: ~
thesistype: ~
title: 'Creativity: Method or Magic?'
type: bookchapter
userid: 63
volume: ~