Creativity in Science

Chance, Logic, Genius, and Zeitgeist

Dean Keith Simonton (University of California, Davis)

$84.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Cambridge University Press
15 July 2004

Cognition & cognitive psychology; Mathematics & Sciences; Philosophy of science

Psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, historians - and even scientists themselves - have often tried to decipher the basis for creativity in science. Some have attributed creativity to a special logic, the so-called scientific method, whereas others have pointed to the inspirations of genius or to the inevitable workings of the zeitgeist. Finally, some have viewed scientific breakthroughs as the product of chance, as witnessed in the numerous episodes of serendipity. Too often these four alternative interpretations are seen as mutually exclusive. Yet the central thesis of this book is that the chance, logic, genius, and zeitgeist perspectives can be integrated into a single coherent theory of creativity in science. But for this integration to succeed, change must be elevated to the status of primary cause. Logic, genius and the zeitgeist still have significant roles to play but mainly operate insofar as they enhance, or constrain the operation of a chance combinatorial process.

By: Dean Keith Simonton (University of California Davis)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 520g
ISBN: 9780521835794
ISBN 10: 0521835798
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 15 July 2004
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface; 1. Introduction: scientific creativity; 2. Creative products; 3. Combinatorial processes; 4. Scientific activity; 5. Creative scientists; 6. Scientific discovery; 7. Consolidation: creativity in science; References; Index.

Dean Keith Simonton is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of nine books, such as Genius, Creativity, and Leadership [Harvard, 1984], Scientific Genius [Cambridge 1988], Psychology, Science, and History [Yale 1990], Greatness [Guilford, 1994], Origins of Genius [Oxford, 1999] and Great Psychologists and Their Times [APA].

Reviews for Creativity in Science: Chance, Logic, Genius, and Zeitgeist

"""This engaging and insightful book explores the four candidates that traditionally have been suggested to explain creativity in science. Recommended."" -R.M. Davis, Albion College, CHOICE ""Simonton is a very clear writer, and the empirical support he marshals is impressive. Although the book begins with an advisement of mathematical formulae to be used, Simonton does not bog the reader down with equations. Instead, he affirms the superiority of the change approach as an overarching explanation to scientific creativity with a thorough account of how the causal predictions based on the logic, genius, and zeitgeist perspectives ultimately contradict available data."" -Christopher H. Ramey, Department of Psychology, Florida Southern College, Philosophical Psychology"