beingblog:

Beautiful Minds: The Creative Brain Across Time and Cultures

by Trent Gilliss, senior editor

There’s little doubt, most brain researchers agree, that genius looked much different thousands of years ago. With new tools and improving technologies, scientists are able to see traces of this evolution and observe how our brains are reshaping themselves. But, how are our ideas and commonly held assumptions about intelligence and the creative process being informed by these technologies?

In our most recent show, “Creativity and the Everyday Brain” with neuropsychologist Rex Jung, we featured this video from the World Science Festival. Here, uber-director Julie Taymor (a force of nature and creativity in her own right) and neuroscientists Rex Jung and Douglas Fields wrestle with the notions of genius over time and the possible effects of new technology on attention and creativity. It’s been one of our most popular pieces online, and I hope you’ll add your ideas to the mix.

As a creative person with creative children, I am fascinated and reassured by this discussion of creativity and intelligence. I appreciate the holistic view and the recognition that there’s much more to being an amazing person than either intelligence or creativity can account for.