The Act of Creation (Arkana) [Mass Market Paperback]

Arthur Koestler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995 | Series: Arkana

While the study of psychology has offered little in the way of explaining the creative process, Koestler examines the idea that we are at our most creative when rational thought is suspended--for example, in dreams and trancelike states. All who read The Act of Creation will find it a compelling and illuminating book.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140191917
• ISBN-13: 978-0140191912
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Budapest in 1905, educated in Vienna, Arthur Koestler immersed himself in the major ideological and social conflicts of his time. A communist during the 1930s, and visitor for a time in the Soviet Union, he became disillusioned with the Party and left it in 1938. Later that year in Spain, he was captured by the Fascist forces under Franco, and sentenced to death. Released through the last-minute intervention of the British government, he went to France where, the following year, he again was arrested for his political views. Released in 1940, he went to England, where he made his home. His novels, reportage, autobiographical works, and political and cultural writings established him as an important commentator on the dilemmas of the 20th century. He died in 1983.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The intersection of lines of thought, August 5, 2002

By 

Rafe Champion (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Act of Creation (Arkana) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first of Koestler's big three serious science books. The second is "The Sleepwalkes", on the contribution of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo. The third is "The Ghost in the Machine", which contains a critique of behaviorist psychology and Koestler's theory to account for the apparent self-destructiveness of human nature.

"The Act of Creation" offers a theory to account for the "Ah Ha" reaction of scientific discovery, the "Ha Ha" reaction to jokes and the "Ah" reaction of mystical or religious insight. In each case the result is produced by a "bisociation of matrices" or the intersection of lines of thought which brings together hitherto unconnected ideas and fuses them into a creative synthesis. When the lines of thought are scientic the result is a scientific discovery, when they are concerned with devotional matters the result is mystical insight and when they are on a more homely plane the result can be a joke.

The model is fleshed out with a great deal of information ranging from the religions of the world to a theory about the nervous system to account for the build-up of tension and its discharge at the puchline of a joke. Peter Medawar's review was scathing in his comments on Koestler's science, which is a shame because the book can have the desirable effect of encouraging young scientists to read far beyond the usual range of their literature.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece, sadly forgotten, worth reviving, April 29, 2006

By 

Umesh Vyas (New Delhi, India) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Act of Creation (Arkana) (Mass Market Paperback)

Recently, I have read a lot of books on Creativity and Innovation. My big surprise is that virtually none of them mention Koestler's The Act of Creation. This is unfortunate because this book is probably the most authoritative examination of creativity. Attention to this classic is worth reviving.

Koestler examines three types of creativity - Humor, Science, and Poetry. Humor, according to him, is cruel (a valuable insight). Poetry, and other forms of art, integrate oneself with the World. Science occupies the neutral middle. It is amazing how Koestler manages to link all three kinds of creativity with a common framework.

My two biggest take-aways from this book are regarding the process of creation and its form.

As Koestler describes beautifully - "..uncovers, selects, re-shuffles, combines, synthesizes already existing facts, ideas, faculties, skills. The more familiar the parts, the more striking the new whole." This is corroborated by all geniuses who have stood `on the shoulder of giants'. Even inventors like Edison fit this framework. This is close to saying that instead of thinking `outside the box', link several boxes to each other.

The other great insight is that the final breakthrough is rarely verbal, but in images. So people see new insights in a dream-like trance, rather than expressing it in language. Language, probably, impedes creativity.

There are several more delightful and relevant insights on creativity in this masterpiece. Nearly a bible on creativity.

40 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The roots of human creativity and its relation to nature., March 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Act of Creation (Arkana) (Mass Market Paperback)

THE ACT OF CREATION has attracted a cult following since its original 1964 publication. It set the stage for much of the "New Age" literature of the following decades.

Koestler draws analogies between human creativity and evolution in nature, seeing them as two different aspects of a single process.

Koestler's writing is eminently readable and still highly topical three decades later.