TRAINING FOR CREATIVE THINKING-an introduction

SURESHKUMAR.S,SCIENTIST AND ADVISER ,NIIST

DEFINITION
ABILITY TO USE THOUGHT AND IMAGINATION to transcend patterns and relations to CREATE new ideas and forms

CREATIVITY&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

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

THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS
Einstein, Schrdinger-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

Schrdinger cat and Maya Vada

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 ENGINEERING

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

INCREMENTAL INNOVATIONS
Usually used for tinkering research in industry But equally suited to disruptive technologies Paradigm shifts needed in recession Known as constructive destruction

TECHNO-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 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 CREATIVITY

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

LEADERSHIP
Creativity management based on sustainable leadership Task-behavior types/malevolentbenevolent types Intuitve-perceptive,introvertextrovert,sensing-judging types Sustainable leadership based on extended self concept

CONCEPT 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

PHENOMENOLOGY
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 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 -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 WORK
I was cleaning my overhead tank[sintex] water with very fine particles of clayey

red mud settles down Forms fibers clinging to tank walls These are somewhat rubbery and polymeric What ideas,projects,processes or products can you derive from this experience

ONE EXAMPLE OF IDEATION

Nanoporous materials with good gas absorption Problem of atmospheric carbon scavenging Can it be functionalized to sequester carbon, chemical scavenging Decay to soil or ecofriendly product when UV irradiated, photo transformation

THANK YOU