To give you an idea of the school I'm working at, there are 25 professors for the 25 or so turmas (groups of students, or classes), among the 10 subjects taught. This works out to having 2-3 professors per subject. In Biology there are 4, including me. So do they need me here? I don't see why not, but do they need me here more than in other cities?
I'm kind of in limbo, waiting for school to start. In the meantime, I've had some time to do some thinking, not directly related to my experiences here, but inspired by some challenges I've had. I'll try to relate some of that, mainly because I want it written down.
I wasn't completely satisfied with my description of creativity the other day. I think I can be more specific and scientific with my hindsight approach to creativity.
I see "creativity" as a combination of classis "thinking outside of the box" in combination with imagination. First, I'll tackle the box.
When someone says to "Think outside the box", I believe they are doing a disservice. Nobody knows what the box is, so how can you think outside of it? What they really need to say is, "Think outside you assumptions."
But before we define the box, the very process of thinking has to be reevaluated. There's a common misperception that there is a right and wrong way to think, which is mostly the fault of standardized education. Well, I posit that there is no right and wrong way to think, and the way you do it is just fine. The process of CRITICAL thinking is just that, a process subservient to thinking in general. It's a way to examine an idea in an ordered manner, a method of thinking. I want to establish this point so you can throw out critical thinking for a moment, and not lose your general pattern of thought.
So now we need to establish the box. Either think of the box as existing inside a circle or of the box as one of the lists (if you're not a visual thinker). The box, or first list, is full of the assumptions you have made about the problem at hand. The circle, or second list, is made up of the actual constraints of the problem.
Making the box (list #1) is not trivial. You have to look at your approach from every angle without thinking about the problem. Essentially, you're thinking about thought and discovering the way you think. Thus, you can't be uncomfortable with how you think or what you find at this step will not be completely honest. And if you use "critical thinking", you will simply layer assumptions onto your 2nd level thought processes. So keep it simple and keep an open mind to what you find.
Once you're done defining the box/list, examine the problem once again and think about the problem from a distance. What are the very real contraints for this problem? Can each constraint be more generalized and still fit every possible solution? This is your circle, or 2nd list.
Now, the "space" between the circle and square, or the items that are on the first list but not the second - assumptions you have unnecessarily made - are the breeding ground for creativity.
Don't worry, I'll get to an example soon enough.
Now that you have the assumptions you incorrectly made about the problem, you can explore the new territory you've uncovered - thinking outside the box - or simply try and start from the circle/2nd list and work your way in. This is called imagination.
Imagination is that wonderful thing we're all born with, but many of us lose because we're told to think and act in prescribed, unimaginative ways. Imagination is wonderfully simple and inconceivably endless. To be imaginative is simply to not force a thought to exist and when one does pop up, not to dismiss it because it doesn't seem to fit the cultural or specified norms. This is often called "brainstorming", but it implies that it is an active process, which it need not be. Using your imagination can take a few seconds or a few weeks. A problem that has a quick deadline is not going to be able to receive your full efforts. Brains under pressure produce adequate but unimaginative solutions.
So a simple example of this whole process is the writing of a shopping list.
A typical "box" for this task will contain the following:
Items should be listed in a neat fashion.
Items should be thoroughly descriptive so another person can read them.
There should be a title which sets the scope for the list, above the items to be purchased.
A small, but adequate blank piece of paper should be used.
One pen should be used (or pencil).
No extraneous writing should be present.
A typical "circle":
All items to be purchased should be present.
Depending upon importance, items should be described thoroughly.
I will share how my list ended up at another time. But for now, try making one using the above method and see what happens.
Peace
John
