Corridors of Creativity

In an essay published in eLearnSpace, George Siemens explores how ideas are developed -- and how they are challenged. Approaching ideas as corridors -- or a larger structure of ideas that determines the quality of smaller subsets of ideas -- Siemens considers the "germinating process" contained by ideas and how "ideas produce a certain set of predictable additional ideas as they are explored."

While much of the article reminds me of Richard Dawkins' work in memetics -- or Seth Godin's repositioning of the ideavirus -- I'm most intrigued by Siemens consideration of how we adapt to new ideas, what causes the transition to a new "thought corridor," and what causes people to cling to conflicting ideas. He suggests the following factors that lead people to shift idea gears:

• New climate Foundational change in the marketplace, society, or economic climate
• New evidence Often linked to studies and research that shed light on an existing problem
• Extended period of conflict After an extended period of internal conflict in evaluating and assessing opposing ideas, resolution is pursued to ease the conflict
• New learning When we grow and learn, we are more apt to expand our idea corridors
• Life experiences Successes and failures shape our world views and how we choose to interact with ideas and people around us
• Logic New ideas may also be acquired through reason, logic, debate, and discussion
• Emotions Emotional intelligence is an important criteria in determining our success

Food for, well, thought.