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The origins of creativity / Edward O. Wilson.

by Wilson, Edward O.

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Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W.W. Norton & Company, 2017.

Creative ability.

Science and the humanities.

9781631493188 (hc.)

243 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-213) and index

The reach of creativity -- The birth of the humanities -- Language -- Innovation -- Aesthetic surprise -- Limitations of the humanities -- The years of neglect -- Ultimate causes -- Bedrock -- Breakthrough -- Genetic culture -- Human nature -- Why nature is mother -- The hunter's trance -- Gardens -- Metaphors -- Archetypes -- The most distant island -- Irony : a victory of the mind -- The third enlightenment

"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 endeavors, Edward O. Wilson reveals, have their roots in human creativity - the 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, he 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 endeavors - the 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 seems 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. 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. Edward O. Wilson is the author of The Social Conquest of Earth, The Meaning of Human Existence, and Letters to a Young Scientist. He is a professor emeritus at Harvard University. He lives in Lexington, Massachusetts"--Provided by publisher.

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