What is Progress?

image by CC Merino at flickr

I like to attend a Socrates Cafe at an area library. It is refreshing and challenging to have a two-hour, face-to-face conversation about ideas with a diverse group of people. The one I have attended, the only one around me, is somewhat dominated by a couple of men who turn to science to answer all questions and cling to the idea that what is worthy of attention is what can be proven through reasoning and scientific method. I have asked them a couple of times:

"What kind of world would we have if everyone were a scientist?"

I've been going through some notebooks from the past year and found something I wrote in April 08 after one meeting in which the group discussed the idea of progress:

A truly progressive society is one that is growing in its capacity to support the good life for all people. True progress for me as an individual is growing in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as I ask the questions that need to be asked for our time and act as responsibly and lovingly as possible.

What if we viewed progress as a process of passing through stages of increasing complexity and sophistication toward simplicity, peace, plenty (enough for everyone), health, wholeness, and pure being?

Check out the Socrates Cafe idea. (They have materials for teaching kids philosophy too.)

Creativity vs Innovation

In one of the LinkedIn groups I follow (Innovative Learning and Education Innovators), Gerald Haman posted these questions: How do you define creativity and innovation? How do creativity and innovation differ?

Part of my initial response:
I define creativity as a way of being in which we draw from the imagination, the intellect, and the world around us to bring something new into being. Innovation is the use of creative ideas to add new value to an existing idea, product, process, environment, or system. Purely creative action draws heavily from the intuition, maybe even the "collective unconscious," while innovation combines a wider range of intelligences along with creativity.

Originality and newness are more central in the decision that something is "creative" while effectiveness is more valued in assessments of innovative capacity.

Another member suggested that the main difference is: "Innovation has a connotation of driving something forward or advancing. It is possible to be creative for creativity's sake. We've all met certain people that think differently or seen a piece of art work that used unpredictable elements. But that's all we get. An interesting idea or artifact. Nothing more.

My response:Is it possible to have an "interesting idea or artifact" and nothing more? Maybe it's just that with products of innovation, the results are more visible and/or measurable, while the results of a work of art or theory are characterized more by less measurable impacts: first the internal change that occurs in those who encounter the work, then how that encounter shapes their thoughts and actions. I agree with you that creativity and innovation can often be used interchangeably. Maybe in something like a work of art, you might describe the innovative aspects as the technical part—Van Gogh's brushstrokes and colors and how they took the techniques of Impressionism a step further—while the creative part is how his unique psyche opened itself up to and responded to the emotions and spiritual impulses that flowed into him.

Defining Terms I

Artful: In general, a product, process, or performance that displays artistry. In this context, "artful" also suggests the need to place high-quality arts education and arts integrated learning at the center of the conversation about improving schools and preparing students for the future.

Innovation: The implementation of creative ideas that create significant value. The use of creative ideas to add new value to an existing idea, product, process, environment, or system. Widely recognized as critical to U.S. leadership in 21st century science, technology, and business. The education community is beginning to recognize the need to prepare students for the realities of competing in an economy driven by innovation.

Arts: Music, dance, theater, and the visual arts.

High-Quality Arts Education: In-depth opportunities for students to respond, perform, and create in the arts with originality and rigor.

Arts-Integrated Learning: instruction that incorporates content, processes and/or techniques from one or more arts and at least one other discipline. Approaches vary, but one major mark of quality is a design that leads to significant learning in each discipline.

Imagination: ORIGIN Middle English: via Old French from Latin imaginatio(n-), from the verb imaginari ‘picture to oneself,’ from imago, imagin- ‘image. The part of the mind that sees possibilities and generates original ideas.

Creativity: A way of being in which we draw from the imagination, the intellect, and the world around us to bring something new into being.