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Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

blogs.scientificamerican.com

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Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#31

Post by nitwit005 »

tasogare wrote: post #28
nitwit005 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The assertion you're making is a testable idea. You can check if some apparent trait is genetic or cultural by looking at children adopted by other ethnicities. They've done quite a number of studies like that, including studies on identical twins adopted by different parents, which gives you matching DNA. The reason scientists aren't saying such things, is because it's pretty clearly wrong.

> The reason scientists aren't saying such things, is because it's pretty clearly wrong. Scientists, like every members of society, are bound by social rules. Some taboo cannot be broken, and when they are its a career ending move. It’s easier to get founding by inventing 126 genders that don’t exist than saying a few obvious truths, that are backed by science.

It would be nice if you responded to the substance of what I said instead of skipping over it and vaguely refuting a conclusion.

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#32

Post by phr4ts »

nitwit005 wrote: post #22
codingslave wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just google ashkenazi genius, jewish Nobel prize, its all over the internet. Heres a wikipedia page on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jewish_intelligence

I hope you do realize there are many claims which are both entirely wrong and all over the internet? You can't judge evidence based on a popularity contest.

Jews in general are known to be special. But he's emphasizing on Ashkenazi Jews alone. A quick research shows that their history is quite complex. They were banned from most occupations - restricting them to money lending (banking), health care (doctors), crafting...

You can find some in the link he supplied https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jewish_intelligence#...

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#33

Post by bryanrasmussen »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #27
fzzzy wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference between a failed businessperson and a successful one is the successful one tried again.

The same could be said about lottery winners.

Definitely the problem with the "The difference between X and Y" anecdotal structure is that often there are more than just one difference between things, even if they are somewhat alike.

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#34

Post by TomMarius »

seppel wrote: post #29
sysbin wrote: post #4

I view humans in a universe like a computer program that brute-forces to find a better solution. You can have some people do everything right and nothing ever works out for them. While you can have the opposite happen. The anomalies/survivorship bias gets the most media attention and keeps the rat race going. Sometimes this makes me think the universe is just the outcome of brute-forcing as well.

Yet, a million monkeys at a million keyboards would not produce the works of Shakespeare.

How much time you gave them?

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#35

Post by indigochill »

mads wrote: post #23
adzm wrote: post #11

Personally I feel that creativity is something like saturating a solution with ideas until you get that one seed crystal and then everything just comes together. If it wasn't already full of thoughts and ideas already, that seed would simply dissolve.

Which is also why creativity suffers in totalitarian regimes like China. One or two of those ideas are bound to step on the toes of the establishment, but they need to be explored as part of the process.

Totalitarian governments are just one flavor of repression of creativity. Every culture has its unutterable heresies. In totalitarian societies it's the government that enforces this. In free societies it's the people themselves.

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#36

Post by smallstepforman »

It makes sense that it’s a numbers game. If statistically I try 100 projects and only 3% succeed, I am obviosly doing better than someone putting in 1/10 of the effort and having no success. The key ability is not genious but ability to iterate many many times despite failures.

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#37

Post by saberience »

seppel wrote: post #29
sysbin wrote: post #4

I view humans in a universe like a computer program that brute-forces to find a better solution. You can have some people do everything right and nothing ever works out for them. While you can have the opposite happen. The anomalies/survivorship bias gets the most media attention and keeps the rat race going. Sometimes this makes me think the universe is just the outcome of brute-forcing as well.

Yet, a million monkeys at a million keyboards would not produce the works of Shakespeare.

But would a million humans at a million keyboards?

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#39

Post by swsieber »

I'm the crazy idea guy at work. They are usually bad ideas. But occasionally we have to pause and say "that might be a good idea", and sometimes an idea turns out to be really good, attacking an issue from an unexpected angle.

So for me, definitely a numbers game.

Re: Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game (2015)

#40

Post by libertine »

Isn't this true only through the optics of economy?

You can have creative endeavors that serve no purpose, and you still do it for the sake of the activity. Maybe it's the by product of practice, but it's still creative work.

Or even the a problem solving situation, it might solve a problem but no be the optimal solution.

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