How only an optimistic application of critical rationalism can create environments of innovation.
There appears to be general agreement that while creativity is a good thing, criticism is not. One is about building up something new, while the other is tearing down and destroying. One is positive. The other - altogether negative. But this is profoundly misguided. Without understanding the centrality of criticism to the creative process, innovation will stagnate. Criticism without creativity is cruel. Creativity without criticism is absurd. To understand how criticism and creativity are in orbit around a common center of mass is to understand epistemology: the very means by which new knowledge is generated. Creativity and criticism alternate, linearly, cyclically and often undirected: spinning ever faster like a turbine providing the thrust that drives innovation forward. To understand how the engine of innovation works both at the level of the individual learner and within organizations and nations is to understand the philosophy of "critical rationalism" - and more broadly what I call "Positive Philosophy".
Creativity and criticism are two sides of a single coin. They are not opposed to each other, but go hand in hand. Far from being independent - they are interdependent. Creativity amounts to progress only when it encounters criticism. And criticisms are generated through creative acts. The creative arts are not simply an “anything goes” domain. That would be a mess; not art. The very act of distinguishing a mere mess from quality art is a critical act. This is a positive thing! Only the inability to have some criterion of “quality” is a negative thing. The absence of judgement, and not its presence, is what is antithetical to great art. And music. And knowledge. We must be judgmental to implement a better, more positive world.
We must divorce criticism or “the critical” from the negative emotions so many associate with it. Critical acuity is altogether a positive trait. And this is due in no small part to the simple truth that the critical is married to the creative. They are one in the same when it comes to knowledge generation. And when we speak of knowledge generation we mean across all domains: scientific, philosophical, mathematical, artistic, ethical. To speak of being creative in these areas is to admit that critical methods must come to bare in filtering the false, ugly wrong turns from the gradual climb towards what is better. Avoiding the ugly, and the wrong is a positive.
And it typically is gradual indeed. While great leaps of imagination can and do occur: they are famous in our world for their rarity. Einstein’s relativity, Darwin’s Evolution, The Beatles Rock and Roll, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, the iPhone. But most innovation is of the incremental type. Indeed those “great leaps” on more careful analysis involve both small and big steps in standing on shoulders of giants.
Innovation is not merely about science or technology, despite what recent political corrections might have us believe. For some time, conservative political discourse in some western nations seemed skeptical at all that science (let alone rational enlightenment philosophy) was what built great societies. The correction was a little long in coming. But now, in Australia at least, even conservative ideology in the person of our new Prime Minister has been at pains to spread the positive message of innovation. New ministries and whole departments have been rebranded and reinvigorated some might say - explicitly focussed as they now are upon “innovation”. Knowledge creation industries we might hope are once more on the ascendancy. This has been welcome news to those of us who regretted the very cultural pessimism that seemed to infuse Australian (and more generally Western) politics with respect to science specifically and by association innovation at large. There is a different mood about the place: knowing that those with power value your work can be motivating. If political leaders can do anything at all - they can initiate conversations and help bring communities on board. Not all of our neighbours are having conversations about science and knowledge and innovation so it is worth observing that reminders about how the knowledge industries really do solve real world problems must sometimes be lead from the top down. Knowing your neighbours value your work: that can help with inspiration.
Part 2: Becoming Inspired
There appears to be general agreement that while creativity is a good thing, criticism is not. One is about building up something new, while the other is tearing down and destroying. One is positive. The other - altogether negative. But this is profoundly misguided. Without understanding the centrality of criticism to the creative process, innovation will stagnate. Criticism without creativity is cruel. Creativity without criticism is absurd. To understand how criticism and creativity are in orbit around a common center of mass is to understand epistemology: the very means by which new knowledge is generated. Creativity and criticism alternate, linearly, cyclically and often undirected: spinning ever faster like a turbine providing the thrust that drives innovation forward. To understand how the engine of innovation works both at the level of the individual learner and within organizations and nations is to understand the philosophy of "critical rationalism" - and more broadly what I call "Positive Philosophy".
Creativity and criticism are two sides of a single coin. They are not opposed to each other, but go hand in hand. Far from being independent - they are interdependent. Creativity amounts to progress only when it encounters criticism. And criticisms are generated through creative acts. The creative arts are not simply an “anything goes” domain. That would be a mess; not art. The very act of distinguishing a mere mess from quality art is a critical act. This is a positive thing! Only the inability to have some criterion of “quality” is a negative thing. The absence of judgement, and not its presence, is what is antithetical to great art. And music. And knowledge. We must be judgmental to implement a better, more positive world.
We must divorce criticism or “the critical” from the negative emotions so many associate with it. Critical acuity is altogether a positive trait. And this is due in no small part to the simple truth that the critical is married to the creative. They are one in the same when it comes to knowledge generation. And when we speak of knowledge generation we mean across all domains: scientific, philosophical, mathematical, artistic, ethical. To speak of being creative in these areas is to admit that critical methods must come to bare in filtering the false, ugly wrong turns from the gradual climb towards what is better. Avoiding the ugly, and the wrong is a positive.
And it typically is gradual indeed. While great leaps of imagination can and do occur: they are famous in our world for their rarity. Einstein’s relativity, Darwin’s Evolution, The Beatles Rock and Roll, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, the iPhone. But most innovation is of the incremental type. Indeed those “great leaps” on more careful analysis involve both small and big steps in standing on shoulders of giants.
Innovation is not merely about science or technology, despite what recent political corrections might have us believe. For some time, conservative political discourse in some western nations seemed skeptical at all that science (let alone rational enlightenment philosophy) was what built great societies. The correction was a little long in coming. But now, in Australia at least, even conservative ideology in the person of our new Prime Minister has been at pains to spread the positive message of innovation. New ministries and whole departments have been rebranded and reinvigorated some might say - explicitly focussed as they now are upon “innovation”. Knowledge creation industries we might hope are once more on the ascendancy. This has been welcome news to those of us who regretted the very cultural pessimism that seemed to infuse Australian (and more generally Western) politics with respect to science specifically and by association innovation at large. There is a different mood about the place: knowing that those with power value your work can be motivating. If political leaders can do anything at all - they can initiate conversations and help bring communities on board. Not all of our neighbours are having conversations about science and knowledge and innovation so it is worth observing that reminders about how the knowledge industries really do solve real world problems must sometimes be lead from the top down. Knowing your neighbours value your work: that can help with inspiration.
Part 2: Becoming Inspired
