TRAINING FOR CREATIVE THINKING-an introduction

SURESHKUMAR.S,SCIENTIST AND ADVISER ,NIIST

DEFINITIONDEFINITION

ABILITY TO USE THOUGHT ANDABILITY TO USE THOUGHT AND IMAGINATION to transcend IMAGINATION to transcend

patterns and relations to CREATE patterns and relations to CREATE new ideas and formsnew ideas and forms

CREATIVITY&INNOVATIONCREATIVITY&INNOVATION

• Essence of value creation in life's situation

• Very critical to the innovation process• Innovation is essential in research• Basic research should have

innovation content• Innovation index is being evaluated

abroad

THEORYTHEORY

• Theoretically being related to associative imagination

• Learning also involves association and imagination

• But associative imagination is different from learning intelligence

• Poor learners and scorers can be very creative

CREATIVITY PROCESSCREATIVITY PROCESS

• Be able to think of UNCONVENTIONAL or even strange associations

• Words, figures and situations act as cues for imagination

• One can train oneself to be creative with some systematic effort

AN EXERCISE WITH WORDSAN EXERCISE WITH WORDS

• EXAMPLE-connect words like blood and water, in a sentence, imaginatively

• Blood thicker than water-good• Water in place of blood in his body=• EXAMPLE-sky, blood and water• Water from sky red as blood-good• Water turning to blood as it pours=

REPEAT THE EXERCISEREPEAT THE EXERCISE

• Now repeat with 5 words• Repeat with 15 words, and make a

story in 4-5 sentences• Finally repeat with 20-30 words and

a strange ,imaginative story with a moral

• You can use images and figures to tell a strange tale- improves learning

THIN SLICINGTHIN SLICING

• observation of the ordinary• Challenge current notions• Imaginative associations-parallels• Absence-transcendence• Thinking without thinking• Discriminative logic-mind maps• Final derivation

THOUGHT EXPERIMENTSTHOUGHT EXPERIMENTS

• Einstein, Schrödinger-good examples• Gravity effects equated to effects

due to acceleration• Acceleration from space-time

curvature• Combination of many ideas

expressed in philosophy, science and mathematics

Schrödinger cat and Maya Schrödinger cat and Maya VadaVada

• Influences from Indian metaphysics• Superposition of states until measured• Cat being dead and alive until observed• Analogy with serpent –rope state• Extended to entanglement and non-

locality• Very strange and counterintuitive• Macrostate teleportation

Seed idea-Mach PrincipleSeed idea-Mach Principle

• All masses in universe interconnected

• What affects one will affect the other• Derived from Spinoza's logic-

asingular substance• Influence from Indian concept of

Brahman or Cosmic Being

CONCEPT OF FALLOWCONCEPT OF FALLOW

• Farmers leave their fields fallow after intense farming

• Fallow thinking-regenerates mind• Concentrate,think,read,study and

research intensely for sometime• Then take a vacation,picnic,chat with

friends or browse and while away

Creative FLASHCreative FLASH

• When you return you will have a flash• Unconscious working on the implicit

images• Studies in consciousness and cognition• Implicit learning influences cognition• Unconscious manipulation of mental

images when not disturbed-fallow

CREATIVITY AND COGNITIONCREATIVITY AND COGNITION

• Cognition is related to how we view ourselves and the world

• The beliefs we have about the phenomenal world comes from images

• These cause thought patterns and emotions

• Concept of self affects creativity

DREAM STATE COGNITIONDREAM STATE COGNITION

• Scientific studies reveal that there is no difference in cognition in dreams

• Wakeful cognition and dreaming are unified in brain architecture

• Dreams are more imaginative because of unconscious predominance

FREE WILLFREE WILL

• Some recent neurophysiologic findings are very surprising-discount free will

• Conscious decisions are unconsciously predetermined

• Similarity to our karma theory and destiny

• Destiny and time relates events and objects and situations in universe

PROCESS PHILOSOPHYPROCESS PHILOSOPHY

• Mathematical philosophers like Whitehead advocate internalized breath work– Adapted from Sidha Yoga techniques

and based on breathing pattern and rhythm during sleep

– Sleep disorders and poor breathing affects learning and creativity

VALUE ANALYSIS AND VALUE ANALYSIS AND ENGINEERINGENGINEERING

• Very crucial methodology to help in creative thinking-adapted fromIE

• Ask W questions-what,why,what else, why not, where else, what all, where all, which is similar, how is it similar/different

• Provide leads to ideas, project trials and trouble-shooting solutions

THOUGHT SHOWERS (OR THOUGHT SHOWERS (OR BRAINSTORMING) BRAINSTORMING) ASKING QUESTIONS - WHAT IF? ASKING QUESTIONS - WHAT IF? BLOCKING AND BLOCK-BUSTING BLOCKING AND BLOCK-BUSTING RANDOM WORD OR RANDOM PICTURE RANDOM WORD OR RANDOM PICTURE USING CHECKLISTS USING CHECKLISTS WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? CHALLENGE IT CHALLENGE IT CREATIVE PARALLELS CREATIVE PARALLELS CONCEPT MAPS OR BUZZ MAPS CONCEPT MAPS OR BUZZ MAPS MIND MAPPING (REF:TONY BUZANMIND MAPPING (REF:TONY BUZAN))

INCREMENTAL INCREMENTAL INNOVATIONSINNOVATIONS

• Usually used for tinkering research in industry

• But equally suited to disruptive technologies

• Paradigm shifts needed in recession • Known as constructive destruction

TECHNO-ECONOMIC CYCLESTECHNO-ECONOMIC CYCLES

• Schumpeterian economic cycles every few decades-70-80 years

• Closely followed by Kondratieff long waves

• Economic cycles and depression lead to technology cycles and peaks[5-10 y lag

• Cultural millennial cycles-700-900 years

CREATIVITY AND MOTIVATIONCREATIVITY AND MOTIVATION

• Motivation is intrinsic in nature• Maslow`s theory of self-actualization• Was a spiritualist who believed in

Indian concept of self-realization• Creative people not worried about

extrinsic satisfaction,award/rewards

MENTAL FACULTIES AND MENTAL FACULTIES AND CREATIVITYCREATIVITY

• Ego,intellect,discrimination and pure consciousness states of mind-Varnas

• Self-actualization corresponds to latter states-sense of equity and justice

• Studies reveal that creative people are spontaneous,forthcoming,free going, and less amenable external discipline

LEADERSHIPLEADERSHIP

• Creativity management based on sustainable leadership

• Task-behavior types/malevolent-benevolent types

• Intuitve-perceptive,introvert-extrovert,sensing-judging types

• Sustainable leadership based on extended self concept

CONCEPT OF SELF SYSTEMSCONCEPT OF SELF SYSTEMS

• There is no brain neural circuitry as such for localised self notions-learnt notion

• Brain architecture for extended self systems-oneness with surroundings

• Studies by scientists[Strawson,Galen] reveal pure conscious states

• Similar to Self as one with Cosmic Being notions of Indian metaphysics

PHENOMENOLOGYPHENOMENOLOGY

• Extended self has become a disparate localised self due to phenomenology

• Phenomenology is part of conscious cognition of world through senses and intellect

• Pure consciousness and extended universal self is a process back to Being

PERCEPTIONS OF REALITYPERCEPTIONS OF REALITY

• This is very crucial for sustainable leadership

• We project mental images onto world as part of phenomenology and sensing

• Reality not knowable through reason as observed by Kant

• Discrimination, and transcendence [pure consciousness] is essential

PHILOSOPHER -KINGPHILOSOPHER -KING

• This brings us to the concept of philosopher king in Indian philosophy

• Sustainable leaders mange creative people

• Extended self notions needed for it• Comes from pure consciousness

states of absence-also helps in creative thinking

HOME WORKHOME WORK

• I was cleaning my overhead tank[sintex]I was cleaning my overhead tank[sintex]

• water with very fine particles of clayey red water with very fine particles of clayey red mud settles downmud settles down

• Forms fibers clinging to tank wallsForms fibers clinging to tank walls

• These are somewhat rubbery and These are somewhat rubbery and polymericpolymeric

• What ideas,projects,processes or products What ideas,projects,processes or products can you derive from this experiencecan you derive from this experience

ONE EXAMPLE OF IDEATIONONE EXAMPLE OF IDEATION

Nanoporous materials with good gas Nanoporous materials with good gas absorptionabsorption

Problem of atmospheric carbon Problem of atmospheric carbon scavengingscavenging

Can it be functionalized to sequester Can it be functionalized to sequester carbon, chemical scavengingcarbon, chemical scavenging

Decay to soil or ecofriendly product Decay to soil or ecofriendly product when UV irradiated, photo when UV irradiated, photo transformationtransformation

THANK YOU