Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Understanding the Brain Does Not Help it Work Better

Not to pick on Jonah Lehrer, of whom I am actually a fan, but I have serious doubts about this:
For most of human history, we’ve pretended that the imagination is inherently inscrutable, an impenetrable biological gift. As a result, we’ve clung to a series of false myths about what creativity is and where it comes from. These myths aren’t just misleading – they also interfere with the imagination. 
Now, I ask you, is there any evidence that we have gotten more creative since we stopped thinking it was a gift from the gods?

Neuroscientists regularly trumpet their findings as providing practical advice on how to get smarter (or whatever), but I don't believe them.

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