Access Teams of Expert Solvers led by World-Class Facilitators
|
164 Answers to One Question
 Every year John Brockman poses one big question on his Edge website and invites big thinkers to answer it. Previous questions include: What is your dangerous idea? What have you changed your mind about? and What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?The 2011 question: What scientific concept would improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit? It has attracted 164 answers. Below I’ve listed those that intrigue me most. The ones that address innovation, invention, creativity, creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem solving. Innovation Laurence C. Smith Professor of Geography and Earth & Space Sciences, UCLA Author of The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization’s Northern Future Through innovation, we all can transcend social, professional, political, scientific, and most importantly, personal limits. Perhaps we might all put it to better and more frequent use. The Snuggle For Existence Roger Highfield Editor, New Scientist Coauthor of After Dolly I doubt many realise that, paradoxically, one way to win the struggle for existence is to pursue the snuggle for existence: to cooperate. Structured Serendipity Jason Zweig Journalist, Personal Finance Columnist, The Wall Street Journal Author of Your Money and Your Brain Creativity is a fragile flower, but perhaps it can be fertilized with systematic doses of serendipity...invest a few hours a week in reading research that ostensibly has nothing to do with our day jobs, in a setting that has nothing in common with our regular workspaces. Fixed-Action Patterns: Using The Study Of Animal Instinct As A Metaphor For Human Behavior Irene Pepperberg Psychologist, Research Associate, Harvard University Author of Alex and Me ...if we wish to understand why as humans we often act in certain predictable ways, and particularly if there is a desire or need to change these behavioral responses, we can remember our animal heritage and look for the possible releasers that appear to stimulate our FAPs. Randomness Charles Seife Professor of Journalism, New York University Author of Proofiness I would argue that only once we understand three dicta—three laws of randomness—can we break out of our primitive insistence on predictability and appreciate the universe for what it is rather than what we want it to be. Think Bottom Up, Not Top Down Michael Shermer Publisher of Skeptic Magazine, Adjunct Professor, Claremont Graduate University Author of The Believing Brain For the past 500 years humanity has gradually but ineluctably transitioned from top down to bottom up systems, for the simple reason that both information and people want to be free. The Uselessness of Certainty Carlo Rovelli Physicist, University of Aix-Marseille, France Author of The First Scientist: Anaximander and the Nature of Science There is a widely used notion that does plenty of damage: the notion of “scientifically proven.” Nearly an oxymoron. The very foundation of science is to keep the door open to doubt. We are Lost in Thought Sam Harris Neuroscientist, Chairman, Project Reason Author of The Moral Landscape If we want to actually understand the mind and overcome some of the most dangerous and enduring sources of conflict in our world, we must begin thinking about the full spectrum of human experience in the context of science. Cognitive Humility Gary Marcus Cognitive Scientist, NYU Author of Kluge: The Haphazard Evolution of the Human Mind ...human beings tend almost invariably to be better at remembering evidence that is consistent with their beliefs than evidence that might disconfirm them. Free Jazz Adrian Kreye Editor, The Feuilleton (Arts and Essays), of the German Daily Newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Munich It’s always worth to take a few cues from mid-20th-century avant-garde. So when it comes to improving your cognitive toolkit Free Jazz is perfect. Collective Intelligence Matt Ridley Science Writer, Founding chairman of the International Centre for Life Author of Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code The key to human achievement is not individual intelligence at all. The reason human beings dominate the planet is not because they have big brains... Human achievement is entirely a networking phenomenon. Open Systems Thomas A. Bass Professor of English at the University at Albany Author of The Spy Who Loved Us Open standards allow knowledgeable outsiders access to the design of computer systems, to improve, interact with, or otherwise extend them. These standards are public, transparent, widely accessible, and royalty-free for developers and users. The Virtues of Negative Results Kevin Kelly Editor-At-Large, Wired Author of What Technology Wants We can learn nearly as much from an experiment that does not work as from one that does. Failure is not something to be avoided but rather something to be cultivated. That’s a lesson from science that benefits not only laboratory research, but design, sport, engineering, art, entrepreneurship, and even daily life itself. All creative avenues yield the maximum when failures are embraced. That’s just 13, but I’m out of space. You will find these and 151 more essays on Edge. Every one worth a look. Peter Lloyd is co-creator with Stephen Grossman of Animal Crackers, the breakthrough problem-solving tool designed to crack your toughest problems. 171 Right Brain Workouts are available in the 134-page paperback Right Brain Workouts: Aerobic Exercises for the Creative Side of Your Brain. Right Brain Workouts Explained |
Become a
Paid Problem Solver Sign up for
our free weekly Innovation Newsletter |
© 2007-2012 IdeaConnection Ltd. All rights reserved.