Why is Human race the best?or

Roots of Human Creativity

ByDr Anil Saraogi

Outline

• Advances in Creativity Training

• Putting things in perspective– Context of Content

• MAIN CONTENT

• Take Home

Advances in Creativity Training

• 50-60 years

• Scare Resources…Humongous Problems

• Only Creative Solutions …Ray of Hope

• Importance well recognized and institutionalized across sectors

• Two Models

Creativity can be Enhanced

• Two models– Deficit Model…

• Assumptions: Creative skills not present

• Cognitive Skills..redefinition, ideation, divergent

– Barrier model• Assumptions: Creative skills inherently present• Motivation, Attitude, efforts

• 2001 onwards.– Balanced Holistic approach

Problems of living beings

• Threats of predators• Attack of disease

causing organisms• Hunger• Sexual deprivation

• Camouflages• Immune system• Methods of food

procurement• Attracting mating

partners

Nature as unending source of creativity

• Flying mechanisms of insects & birds

• Deep diving of fish & whales

• Use of solar energy by plants

• Flying machine• Submarines• Greenhouses• Solar cookers

• What do we know about evolution of Human beings?

• We will see some aspects that are important to us.

• Universe->Galaxies-> Milky Way(16 B) -> solar System

• How old is planet earth?– 4.57 billion years = 4,570,000,000 years

• When did life start on it?– Not sure..– But around 3.5 billion years ago

• Our distant cousins: Homo Erectus ?– Around 2,00,000 years ago

Putting things in Perspective

• How old are we on this earth?– Around 2,00,000 years ago– Homo Sapiens Sapiens….1,00,000 years ago – Geologically this is a TRICE of time

• Both on TIME & SPACE • we are minuscule

What have we achieved in this fraction of time?

– Tool makers -> artist -> scientist -> writer -> …

– Citizen -> saint… -> sinner– From caves -> skyscrapers– Roots & raw meat -> infinite global delicacies– From average life span of 25 years -> 75 &

above

Era Life Expectancy

Neolithic[13] 10200 BC 20Bronze Age and Iron Age[14] 26Classical Greece[15] 28Classical Rome[15] 28Pre-Columbian N America[16] 25–30

Medieval Islamic Caliphate[17] 35+Medieval Britain[18][19] 30Early Modern Britain[14] 25–40Early 20th Century[21][22] 312010 world average[23] 67.2

From marginal species -> only super species

• How do we explain this variegated progress?

• What makes us different than other creatures?

• What is within us and indeed between us that propels this tornado of creation?

?????

This surge can be traced to four roots: Anthropology

–Biological

–Mental

–Social–Spiritual

Within us

Between us

• Nature encourages , rather forces a living being to exploration and adaptation…if not creativity.

• In humans Novelty and Curiosity are powerful motivators of exploratory behavior… Berlyn

• Biological Design & Functioning of human body has only facilitated this urge

• We discuss only three organs of human body

Biology of Human Progress

First ?????

– Large Brain???

– Questionable

– Brain to body mass ratio? .022– Highest in humans?– Controversial – Shrew 0.10…Dolphins.016

What Else ????

– May be yes.. Pic– We the only PURELY BIPEDALS…– Lions.. etc. more powerful…but their

forelimbs are not free….i.e. quadrupeds– Even our cousins …the great apes can

only clumsily and vulnerably shuffle on two feet.

Our Limbs?

• Huge advantage: – makes our hands free for other usages…like

• Climb, • seize , • strike, crawl…others also.

Advantages of being purely bipedal

What more ????

Killing combination: Bipedal + Opposable thumb

– Carry, – gesture, – shape tools, – paint, – carve, – sculpt

– And much later

on…..WRITE

Symbiosis of hands and Brain

• With brain driving the hand to newer and more complex uses

• And

• The complex and varied actions of hands …differentiating the brain more & more in terms of increasing numerous brain centers housing the skills of hands

• No wonder….

– Vocal Chords….– Other animals/apes :

• scream, • chatter,

• whimper,

• grunt & groan and • roar • but they cannot speak

– Our lips+ tongue+ teeth + vocal chord ->• Enable us communicate in a number of ways

• Thru words, sentences & inflections / intonations

Second:??

This UNIQUE Communication opened up a PANDORA’s Box

– Led to ‘Language’ -> vocabulary-> culture -> government -> organizations

– Speech-> pass on the past work / experiences/ creativity to NEXT Generations

– & thus ever rising pyramid of inventions got built for the entire race

• Third?• Of course : Brain:

– Brain: Body– Complex structure– Large Cortex– Seat of intellective activities :

• recalling, reasoning, analyzing, associating, categorizing, etc.

– Differentiated cortex: Specialized halves• Left: analysis, reasoning, • Right: Synthesis, integration, intuition, visualize, dream

– But not isolated: 200 m cables : corpus callosum

• Howard Gardner (1984): Sync of all parts of brain is root to human superiority / creativity.– L& R Hemi– F & Temporal Lobe– Cortex & Limbic system

• Hence: Three organs – separately and in combination – blessed us with superior capacity and

creativity

1.Bipedal along with opposable thumb2.Vocal apparatus3.Very complex brain

• Other roots• Mental:

– Psychoanalysis: Sigmund Freud(1890): Sub Conscious mind

– Carl Jung (1920): collective unconsciousness• Archetype : DNA of human psyche

• Social– Conservative(why?) v/s liberal/ entrepreneurial (why not ?)– Democratic / autocratic / authoritarian 20th century

• Spiritual– Society of Jesus– Swadhyaya Pariwar: Swadhyaya villages: No filth, no

crime, no wife beating???

• Recognize the Nature’s Design• Involve in ACTIVITIES/ Doing

– New– Varied– Interesting– Stimulating

• Build on Experience• Express yourself

– Communicate– Write…better still speak

Take Home

• Give Varied Food to Mind

• Make friends with creative people whom you like

• Regular exposure to fresh content on Creativity

– Literature

– Training

Take Home

• Is a totally autonomous body• Only diploma…no accreditation• Collaboration with HBS• Faculties offer their own courses…

depending on contemporary issues ….– Doing business with Nordic countries– CBBS, CINE, CB, Comp Finance,

• Compulsory on campus stay• Strong IT Backbone

Essence from IIM, Ahmedabad

• Collegial system…

• No hierarchy .. Totally flat system

• Area system

• Some figures: Faculties : around 80

• Programs: PGP, FPM, PGPX, DGR, MDP, FDP, PMP

• On campus community : Around 1000

• Totally case based…. good????

• Students are made to spend more time on self study….

• On an average 3 lectures a day

• Trimester system…25 sessions per module… very fast paced

• Not all courses have prescribed text books

• Rather very few have prescribed text books

• Every faculty develops his / her own course mat.

• Lot of international faculty exposure

Other Sessions on Creativity

• Can one be trained to be CREATIVE?

Or

• Can Creativity be Enhanced?

• Various Forms of Creativity

• Lifelong Creativity

• Mastering Creative Problem Solving

• Acquiring Creative Persona

• Designing Creative Environment