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Why Blind-Variation Selective-Retention is an Inappropriate Explanatory Framework for Creativity : Comment on “Creative thought as Blind-variation and Selective-retention: Combinatorial Models of Exceptional Creativity” by Dean Keith Simonton Gabora, Liane
Abstract
Simonton is attempting to salvage the Blind Variation Selective Retention theory of creativity (often referred to as the Darwinian theory of creativity) by dissociating it from Darwinism. This is a necessary move for complex reasons outlined in detail elsewhere. However, whether or not one calls BVSR a Darwinian theory, it is still a variation-and selection theory. Variation-and-selection was put forward to solve a certain kind of paradox, that of how biological change accumulates (that is, over generations, species become more adapted to their environment) despite being discarded at the end of each generation (that is, parents don’t transmit to offspring knowledge or bodily changes acquired during their lifetimes, e.g., you don’t inherit your mother’s ear piercings). This paradox does not exist with respect to creative thought. There is no discarding of acquired change when ideas are transmitted amongst individuals; we share with others modified versions of the ideas we were exposed to on a regular basis
Item Metadata
Title |
Why Blind-Variation Selective-Retention is an Inappropriate Explanatory Framework for Creativity : Comment on “Creative thought as Blind-variation and Selective-retention: Combinatorial Models of Exceptional Creativity” by Dean Keith Simonton
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Creator | |
Publisher |
Elsevier
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Date Issued |
2010
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Description |
Simonton is attempting to salvage the Blind Variation Selective Retention theory of
creativity (often referred to as the Darwinian theory of creativity) by dissociating it from
Darwinism. This is a necessary move for complex reasons outlined in detail elsewhere.
However, whether or not one calls BVSR a Darwinian theory, it is still a variation-and
selection theory. Variation-and-selection was put forward to solve a certain kind of
paradox, that of how biological change accumulates (that is, over generations, species
become more adapted to their environment) despite being discarded at the end of each
generation (that is, parents don’t transmit to offspring knowledge or bodily changes
acquired during their lifetimes, e.g., you don’t inherit your mother’s ear piercings). This
paradox does not exist with respect to creative thought. There is no discarding of acquired
change when ideas are transmitted amongst individuals; we share with others modified
versions of the ideas we were exposed to on a regular basis
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2018-05-03
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0366173
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URI | |
Affiliation | |
Citation |
Gabora, L. (2010). Why Blind-Variation Selective-Retention is inappropriate as an explanatory framework for creativity. Physics of Life Reviews, 7(2), 182-183.
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Publisher DOI |
10.1016/j.plrev.2010.04.008
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Peer Review Status |
Reviewed
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Scholarly Level |
Faculty
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International