Creative Gobbledygook - Innovative Boloney

Let us not confuse “that which is different” with the loftier concepts of “that which is innovative or creative.” Many are mere expressions of intellectual fraud, as though there isn’t enough fraud going around.

Innovation studies – Nowadays there are full university programs offering degrees in innovation. As honey to flies, grants are available is why. Websites are available for all innovators, to infect those without ability with a perception they have it. Innovation studies programs are even available to youngsters aged 10-18. Mostly, they just train folks about new stuff, though leaving them unable to contribute to it. For example, business innovation is little more than awareness of needs for better products and marketing. In brief, these programs mostly only teach “new” or “different.” The world so craves new ideas that it invests huge sums to produce what will soon be called innovative nonsense. Futurists are their philosophers.

Creative writing – Change the order of sentences, use a twist of words, conflate incongruous themes, throw in a couple of curse words, involve socially frowned-on themes, and you’ll get an “A” in your creative writing class. Why? Because the instructors don’t know what it is either. They simply teach writing “different” and call it creative. Nobody ever reads it but the teacher and maybe the student’s mom.

Contemporary anything – Frequently, it means unusual or bizarre, sometimes following new rules but often simply abandoning old rules and having no discipline. Witness the spectrum of contemporary music or art ranging from pure trash to the most interesting. But we do see considerable creative writing efforts to describe schlock art in complementary terms. Ditto for contemporary schlock wine, furniture, and yes, high fashion. Here we see “different” in the service of “contemporary.”

>>You never hear about contemporary or innovative physics or math, chemistry or biology. These subjects are creative, contemporary, and innovative by construct. Occasionally, you’ll hear about classical versions, though for comparison.

>>In most cases innovative this, creative that, or contemporary something come from years of study and actually being at the research cutting edge, not just having read a book about it. And this is just what the best innovation programs are. They are the familiar nanotech, immuno-systems, quantum, and similar researches now wearing a new “innovation” hat.

>>Everyone acknowledges the importance of these topics. Innovations, creations drive the world onward, for goodness sakes. But who knows how to teach them?

Lies, Deceit, and the National Agenda

The world you grew up in is no more. The world of reasonable honesty and reasonable lies has been replaced by abject dishonesty and blatant lies. Lies. Yes. People have always told them. You have told them; so have I. We need lies; they are a foundational structure of social living. They both deceive and protect. Children tell them to their parents to avoid consequences, like punishment. Adults tell them to their bosses, to enhance their position and/or avoid consequences of poor performance. Our bosses tell them to their boards to suggest business is good, the project is on target, or the detractors are wrong. The boards tell them to shareholders to protect their own credibility and most importantly, stock values. Our politicians tell lies to their constituents, though sometimes innocently with them not actually knowing much more than they've been told. They enhance their positio...

Behavioral Science and Problem-Solving

I. I. Introduction. Concerning our general behavior, it’s high about time we all had some understanding of how we operate on ourselves, and it is just as important how we are operated on by others. This is the wheelhouse of behavioral sciences. It is a vast subject. It touches our lives constantly. It’s influence is pervasive and can be so subtle we never notice it. Behavioral sciences profoundly affect our ability and success at problem-solving, from the elementary level to highly complex wicked problems. This is discussed in Section IV. We begin with the basics of behavioral sciences, Section II, and then through the lens of multiple categories and examples, Section III. II. ...

UNCERTAINTY IS CERTAIN

Uncertainty is Certain G. Donald Allen 12/12/2024 1. Introduction . This short essay is about uncertainty in people from both secular and nonsecular viewpoints. One point that will emerge is that randomly based uncertainty can be a driver for religious structure. Many groups facing uncertainty about their future are deeply religious or rely on faith as a source of comfort, resilience, and guidance. The intersection of uncertainty and religiosity often stems from the human need to find meaning, hope, and stability in the face of unpredictable or challenging circumstances. We first take up the connections of uncertainty to religion for the first real profession, farming, noting that hunting has many similar uncertainties. Below are groups that commonly lean on religious beliefs amidst uncertainty. This short essay is a follow-up to a previous piece on certainty (https://used-ideas.blogspot.com/2024/12/certainty-is-also-emotion.html). U...

First Blog

Search This Blog