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Technology and Creativity
Few things require a finer blend of practical knowledge and creative imagination than the invention of new technologies. Great innovators like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and Henry Ford possessed not only extensive mechanical knowledge, but also a profound ability to anticipate and
fulfill the technological needs and desires of society. What thought processes underlie this unique union of mechanical prowess and social insight? Are inventors inspired by a divine muse--as artists through the ages have claimed to be--or is there a more down-to-earth explanation? In Technology and
Creativity , Subrata Dasgupta brilliantly argues that such processes can be understood scientifically, and he offers a groundbreaking exploration of how cognitive psychology can shed light on the technological mind.
Packed with intriguing case histories and many illuminating examples, the book provides in-depth analyses of the cognitive origins of technological creativity--the conception, invention, and design of original, useful artifacts--and of the people who have possessed this rare talent. Leading us
on a fascinating tour through the history of modern technology--from the primitive atmospheric steam engine of 1712 through breakthroughs in mechanical, civil, aeronautical, and electrical engineering--the author gives voice to the genius of the many inventors, some famous, others obscure, who have
forever altered history through their achievements. We learn, for example, of the tangled web of ideas behind the first electronic computer, of Benjamin Huntsman's invention of the crucible process, and of Robert Stephenson's design of the Britannia Bridge. We are treated to a close look at the
intellectual odysseys that led to Thomas Newcomen's invention of the first steam engine and to the development of the first superalloys. And throughout the book, Dasgupta illuminates these stories with the latest ideas in cognitive psychology, offering for the first time a critical, scientific
evaluation of technological creativity. He reveals that inventors--who have long sat in the shadows of the great artists and theoretical scientists--possess a unique and remarkable kind of imagination that puts them squarely on the level of the most exalted physicists, painters, chemists, and poets.
Remarking on Technology and Creativity , the distinguished historian of science and technology Donald Cardwell called it "an original and valuable book...as readable as it is authoritative and stimulating." With its rare combination of an intimate, often conversational writing style and clear
expositions of difficult concepts, the book will be of interest to all who have ever pondered the nature of human creativity.
fulfill the technological needs and desires of society. What thought processes underlie this unique union of mechanical prowess and social insight? Are inventors inspired by a divine muse--as artists through the ages have claimed to be--or is there a more down-to-earth explanation? In Technology and
Creativity , Subrata Dasgupta brilliantly argues that such processes can be understood scientifically, and he offers a groundbreaking exploration of how cognitive psychology can shed light on the technological mind.
Packed with intriguing case histories and many illuminating examples, the book provides in-depth analyses of the cognitive origins of technological creativity--the conception, invention, and design of original, useful artifacts--and of the people who have possessed this rare talent. Leading us
on a fascinating tour through the history of modern technology--from the primitive atmospheric steam engine of 1712 through breakthroughs in mechanical, civil, aeronautical, and electrical engineering--the author gives voice to the genius of the many inventors, some famous, others obscure, who have
forever altered history through their achievements. We learn, for example, of the tangled web of ideas behind the first electronic computer, of Benjamin Huntsman's invention of the crucible process, and of Robert Stephenson's design of the Britannia Bridge. We are treated to a close look at the
intellectual odysseys that led to Thomas Newcomen's invention of the first steam engine and to the development of the first superalloys. And throughout the book, Dasgupta illuminates these stories with the latest ideas in cognitive psychology, offering for the first time a critical, scientific
evaluation of technological creativity. He reveals that inventors--who have long sat in the shadows of the great artists and theoretical scientists--possess a unique and remarkable kind of imagination that puts them squarely on the level of the most exalted physicists, painters, chemists, and poets.
Remarking on Technology and Creativity , the distinguished historian of science and technology Donald Cardwell called it "an original and valuable book...as readable as it is authoritative and stimulating." With its rare combination of an intimate, often conversational writing style and clear
expositions of difficult concepts, the book will be of interest to all who have ever pondered the nature of human creativity.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 28, 1996
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December 5, 2016
The author is concerned to develop a general cognitive theory of technological creativity. Sounds like a lofty goal, but he does a pretty good job. Drawing upon history of technology, cognitive science, the various models of creative invention, etc. he lays out the case for what he terms the "operational-principles hypothesis." I found this to be a very interesting book, though one difficult to summarize in short space. Central to his theory is the observation that technology and technological creativity are much more ancient than science. Hence, good-bye to the very popular idea that engineering and technological development consist merely in the application of scientific knowledge. Dasgupta indeed makes the case that technological creativity is a knowledge-rich activity, but that knowledge is not merely scientific but also historical, empirical, and heuristic.
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\nLet me mention two notable observations that Dasgupta makes that struck a chord with me. 1st is his isolation of the role of abduction in the process of technical problem solving. Abduction differs from deduction in that it infers a premise from a consequence, Hence it is not logically rigorous--in fact it is the formal equivalence of the logical fallacy of post hoc ergo propter hoc, since there are many possible explanations for a consequence besides the one we might draw. Yet it is the use of this as a heuristic to determine likely explanations that makes it, and has made it, so useful in technological development. I find this to be in almost constant use in my own work. 2nd is his assertion that phylogeny conditions ontogeny. He borrows these terms from biology--if ontogeny is roughly the life of an organism, phylogeny is the life of a species. His point is that the development of any artifact is conditioned on many artifactual forms, which filter through the min
d of the technologist through "operational principles." In elaborating his theory he has drawn heavily on theories of knowledge articulated by the philosopher of science, Michael Polanyi. There is much more in this book and, if you are interested in the history of technology, or problem solving as a rational process, you might really enjoy this book as I did.
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\nLet me mention two notable observations that Dasgupta makes that struck a chord with me. 1st is his isolation of the role of abduction in the process of technical problem solving. Abduction differs from deduction in that it infers a premise from a consequence, Hence it is not logically rigorous--in fact it is the formal equivalence of the logical fallacy of post hoc ergo propter hoc, since there are many possible explanations for a consequence besides the one we might draw. Yet it is the use of this as a heuristic to determine likely explanations that makes it, and has made it, so useful in technological development. I find this to be in almost constant use in my own work. 2nd is his assertion that phylogeny conditions ontogeny. He borrows these terms from biology--if ontogeny is roughly the life of an organism, phylogeny is the life of a species. His point is that the development of any artifact is conditioned on many artifactual forms, which filter through the min
d of the technologist through "operational principles." In elaborating his theory he has drawn heavily on theories of knowledge articulated by the philosopher of science, Michael Polanyi. There is much more in this book and, if you are interested in the history of technology, or problem solving as a rational process, you might really enjoy this book as I did.
Displaying 1 of 1 review