Why Asians are Less Creative than Westerners

by Ng Aik-Kwang, Aik Kwang Ng

Why do so many modern creative geniuses like Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Charles Darwin hail from the West instead of the East? Why do the Chinese, who were the first people in the world to use paper, printing and gunpowder, lag behind their Western counterparts in modern discoveries and inventions? You can find the answers to these questions and more in this book, which argues that Asians are less creative than their Western counterparts because of their cultural background. Also included are practical pointers on how to be more creative in everyday life.

Paperback

Published December 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author posited that cultural influences affect the psyche of the society, which in turn affect the behavior of every individual in the society. The idea was permeated throughout the book. Ego-centric VS task - focused; face-saving VS individuated. It is also implied that the pursuit for success, and the attitude towards conflict and failure, are the fundamental topics of concern to fully understand why our creativity is curbed. Some good insights are there, but I always feel that the contents are loaded with repeated stereotypes and com nonsensical comments and discussion on that. Also, it is not necessary to laude a balance between or an integration of work and play(using Feyman's example). I'd rather go with the concept of flow and claim that the very notion of passion or joy is practically meaningless. However, I will still need further reading to start writing something on this.