The origins of creativity
Book |
Liveright Publishing Corporation,
New York :
2018.
- 1 of 1 Copy Available at Libraries in Niagara Cooperative
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Branch | Call Number | Location | Holdable? | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara-on-the-Lake | 0716 WIL | Adult Health & Wellness | Copy hold / Volume hold | Available |
About
"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, The Origins of Creativity 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 seem 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."--
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Details
- ISBN: 1631494856
- ISBN: 9781631494857
- Physical Description: 243 pages ; 21 cmprint
- Publisher: New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2018.
- Copyright: ©2017
- Bibliography, etc. Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Formatted Contents Note: 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.