THE LOCUS OF CREATIVITY

The Locus of Creativity

It is no paradox that locking-in our interest in philosophy, in fact, unlocks our creative processes; for there is no creative process without, first, questions and, second, insights; and both are central philosophical fare. That is, if philosophers’ discoveries point us towards self-discovery, then those discoveries will, in turn, point us towards the creative processes that come with being human, that we were born with, and that underpin all history, art, science, religion, and indeed all culture. Those processes have already been going forward in us from the beginning, perhaps in fits and starts. Self-discovery is a self that discovers this: I am a creative discoverer.

However, a discovery and clear knowledge of such processes in ourselves (and in our students if we are teachers) carry the potential of removing artificial barriers put upon that creativity, and of making the movement in us and in our students more self-directed and, thus, more easily manifest. In a word, we can foster habits of openness. With such self-knowledge, we are in a position to better mold and shape the potent clay that we already are--informing, directing and edifying ourselves towards not only what we are, but what we want to be—for what we are is fundamentally self-developmental.

In this way, understanding Plato’s directives, namely to know thyself, and to examine our lives, and Lonergan’s and others’ discoveries, hold the key to our recognizing our own given and dynamic structure and its normative functions, as well as our potential--our call--to re-create and to edify ourselves through what is given to us as human.