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.
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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.
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53 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By Umesh Vyas
Format: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.
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.
41 of 49 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format: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.
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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best of All Creativity Books!
I first read Act of Creation in 1968. I've probably read it ten times in the succeeding four and a half decades. It has informed a lot of my thinking about the creative process. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Roger von Oech
5.0 out of 5 stars
A favorite of mine for four decades plus
When I was in high school in Ann Arbor, MI, in the sixties, I carried a copy of Koestler's book The Act of Creation with me everywhere I went. Read more
Published on November 15, 2010 by Christine L. Helrigel
5.0 out of 5 stars
An old friend
Arthur Koestler was as influential an author as any in shaping the contours of my young mind. A fan had placed an entire library of his works in my high school library, and I read... Read more
Published on June 5, 2010 by Four Tusk Njoku
5.0 out of 5 stars
Illusion is a complexity of tasteful brooding not forgotten
Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) was a Hungarian born polymath (whose many fields of expertise included penning novels, political commentary, parapsychology and anthropology), who... Read more
Published on March 12, 2007 by David Chirko
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indispensible
This is a remarkable book. Some years ago, I used it as the basis of a course I wrote on Thinking & Creativity. Read more
Published on January 7, 2007 by John Newton
5.0 out of 5 stars
A rare masterpiece connecting the dots of insightful thought
A fascinating read for the person who steps back and wonders - it gives glimpses and answers through an integrated body of research and a graceful and insightful fireside chat... Read more
Published on June 24, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most authoratative text on creative processes I know.
The book looks at creativity from a broader perspective than what is generally portrayed in society. Read more
Published on June 18, 1998
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
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- The Origin Of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition by Charles Darwin on 4 pages
- The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin on 4 pages
- On the Origin of Species (Penguin Classics) by Charles Darwin on 4 pages
- The Unconscious Before Freud by Lancelot Law Whyte on page 126, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- On the Revolutions: Nicholas Copernicus Complete Works (Foundations of Natural History) by Nicholas Copernicus on page 103, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 100 books this book cites
- Dimensions of Creativity by Margaret A. Boden on 4 pages
- Chase, Chance, and Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty by James H. Austin on 4 pages
- Postmodernism in History: Fear or Freedom? by Beverley Southgate in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Routledge Library Editions - Wittgenstein: Wittgenstein and the Turning Point in the Philosophy of Mathematics by S.G. Shanker on page 112, page 119, and Back Matter
- The Language of Change: Elements of Therapeutic Communication by Paul Watzlawick on page 18, page 55, and Back Matter
See all 100 books citing this book
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