Creativity and Beyond [Paperback]

Robert Paul Weiner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0791444783 | ISBN-13: 978-0791444788 | Publication Date: April 1, 2000

For the past decade, creativity has been extolled as a virtue in education, business, and the media. Creativity and Beyond offers a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary tour of cultures past and present to examine the different ways people have conceived of "creativity" and how the common understanding of creativity is changing in the current flux of global culture. The book demonstrates linkages among disciplines and cultures through the use of many illuminating examples-Egyptian pyramids, Chinese philosophy, Michelangelo, jazz, the United Nations, genetic engineering. Weiner analyzes the ways in which understanding creativity is tied to broader contemporary patterns, including intellectual concerns with postmodernism; trends in the arts; the changing status of women; the power of the electronic media; multiculturalism; developments in psychology, science, and technology; and the dramatic political, economic, and social transformations of our age.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this ambitious, fascinating, copiously referenced work, Weiner (John F. Kennedy Univ.) traces the interpretation and application of the terms create and creativity as they have evolved in the Western world over the centuries. Enriching this sweeping historical perspective, which begins with prebiblical gods and creation myths, is the discussion of the meanings and roles of creativity in the uniquely structured American environment and comparisons with Chinese, "traditional," and some other "non-Western" cultures. Weiner also explores the personal and cultural obstacles to creativity and the shifting tensions between the new and the established, and he emphasizes how, in the emerging global culture, the definitions and values of creativity are changing. This stimulating treatise, based on a compendium of history, philosophies, and trends culled from a wealth of disciplines, is highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
-Suzanne W. Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology, Alfred
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Rob Weiner, Ph.D., is a writer, teacher, consultant, and performer. He was Chair of Liberal Arts at John F. Kennedy University, Coordinator of Liberal Studies at Saint Mary's College, and Executive Editor at Global Digest International News Services. He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Yale, and the University of Cologne. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791444783
• ISBN-13: 978-0791444788
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who invented creativity?, July 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Creativity and Beyond (Paperback)

Not a self-help manual, Weiner's book is for people who get intrigued by the notion that creativity is a fairly recent invention and wasn't even in the dictionary until this century. So weren't the Greeks creative? How about the Chinese? In other words, it's more about the notion of creativity than about how you can be creative. Perhaps the easiest way to summarize the book is to ask you to look at the cover, with its many Davids. I think (by using this photo) Weiner is asking us to think about what it could possibly mean to be "creative" in a world of cheap reproductions. Is each of these Davids "real"? So the book is for people who enjoy ideas, but I don't want to give the impression that it's just for eggheads. It's clearly and interestingly written, and each of its chapters can be read independently. In fact, I would recommend reading it in pieces rather than all at once. I enjoyed it very much, and I think that people who enjoy conversation with bright people who know what they're talking about will enjoy this book; no special background is required.