Reflections of Our Conversation Among the Cultures in Science and Art…

Abstract

It was very clear from the conversation among all of the dedicated and talented authors of these book chapters in this book, that Creativity was extremely important in all of their fields, even though each of the disciplines was very different, ranging from Art to Music Therapy, to basic fields such as Theoretical Physics and Chemistry, and more clinically oriented fields such as Psychology and Neurology. In each field, it was clear that basic creativity was critical for that field to advance in terms of new research, potential paradigm shifts in large spheres of the field (e.g., Einstein and quantum mechanics in Physics), and to allow for improvements within society as a whole. Even in the purely artistic fields, such as Art and Music, huge leaps in creativity have been necessary for major paradigm shifts to occur. In the Art world, the work of the Impressionists is a perfect example of this kind of creative shift and change that can totally alter the world landscape of a given field. Similarly, for the world of Music, huge creative shifts have occurred over time. For example, when the Age of Rock and Roll was instigated in the 1960s, when young musicians in England discovered the blues music of the American South. Creativity is paramount in these kinds of “leaps ahead” in any given field. However, it is also important for many day-to-day activities that people engage in, that are not recognized as being overly creative, such as teachers figuring out how to “get through” to an unmotivated student, parents helping their children to enjoy reading, and the many ways to apply the tools of modern social media.