Flight from Wonder: An Investigation of Scientific Creativity - Hardcover

Rothenberg MD, Albert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 019998879X ISBN 13: 9780199988792

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Flight from Wonder reports the findings from an empirical study of 45 Nobel laureates in science from the United States and Europe concerning the creative processes that produce scientific discoveries. To this end, Albert Rothenberg designed an interview procedure to delineate the content and sequences of processes that lead scientists to specific creative achievements. He conducted interviews with Nobel laureates in the fields of medicine, physiology, physics, and chemistry and carried out matching interviews with a control group consisting of twelve accomplished engineers on the faculty of a leading engineering university.

Rothenberg's results demonstrate that the Nobel laureates use three distinct cognitive creative processes to achieve key formulations and discoveries; the detailed nature and structure of these findings were reviewed by the Nobel laureates. To predict his findings, Rothenberg engaged with autobiographical accounts and work-in-progress manuscripts pertaining to the creative discoveries of outstanding scientists of the past including Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Max Planck, Neils Bohr, Hideki Yukawa, and James Watson. The book will interest students and general readers fascinated by creativity and the development of scientific inquiry and innovation.

About this title

About the Author:

Albert Rothenberg, MD, Harvard Medical School

Review:

"Dr. Rothenberg has published another groundbreaking work, this time reporting on an empirical study of Nobel laureates from the US and Europe. I believe that readers of Albert Rothenberg's new book will come away greatly enriched by the author's own lifelong, creative synthesis." --Ronald W. Pies, Psychiatric Times

"Rothenberg tackles his challenging task as systematically as possible. Although not every reader will be able to understand, let alone judge, the technical summaries of how the Nobel laureates deployed sep-con, homospatial, and janus processes to arrive at their creative insights, Rothenberg“s book is an inspiring reading experience for any passionate researcher. Moreover, his findings suggest we extract pedagogical lessons by developing methods and circumstances that stimulate creative thinking in education." --Charles Forceville, Metaphor and Symbol

"Based upon interviews with Nobel Prize-winning scientists and other sources, Rothenberg brings much insight to the creative method. Whether one agrees with Rothenberg's underlying premise or not, the book is a valuable addition to the field." -- Choice

"The book is narrow and deep, focusing on the individual mental process. Many describe creativity as an exercise in combining existing material in new ways. Rothenberg shows us what that means." -- Science

"Flight From Wonder covers a great deal of territory, highlighting many aspects of the long career of one of the most interesting and idiosyncratic creativity researchers. It is a worthwhile read for graduate students and researchers with an interest in studying the cognitive creative process, creativity, and personality of eminent scientists and learning
more about Rothenberg's work." --PsycCRITIQUES

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 019998879X
• ISBN 13: 9780199988792
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 248