The philosophy of creativity : new essays / edited by Elliot Samuel Paul and Scott Barry Kaufman

Includes bibliographical references and index

Introduction. Introducing The Philosophy of Creativity / Elliot Samuel Paul & Scott Barry Kaufman -- The Concept of Creativity. An Experiential Account of Creativity / Bence Nanay -- Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art. Creativity and the Insight that Literature Brings / Gregory Currie -- The Creative Audience: Some Ways in which Readers, Viewers and/or Listeners Use their Imaginations to Engage Fictional Artworks / Noël Carroll -- Musical Style and the Philosophy of Mind / Christopher Peacocke -- Ethics and Value Theory. Performing Oneself / Owen Flanagan -- Creativity as a Virtue of Character / Matthew Kieran -- Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science. Creativity and Not-So-Dumb Luck / Simon Blackburn -- The Role of Imagination in Creativity / Dustin Stokes -- Creativity and Consciousness: Evidence from Psychology Experiments / Roy F. Baumeister, Brandon J. Schmeichel, and C. Nathan DeWall -- The Origins of Creativity / Elizabeth Picciuto and Peter Carruthers -- Creativity and Artificial Intelligence: a Contradiction in Terms? / Margaret A. Boden -- Philosophy of Science. Hierarchies of Creative Domains: Disciplinary Constraints on Blind Variation and Selective Retention / Dean Keith Simonton -- Philosophy of Education (and Education of Philosophy). Educating for Creativity and Philosophical Creativity / Berys Gaut -- Philosophical Heuristics / Alan Hájek

Creativity pervades human life. It is the mark of individuality, the vehicle of self-expression, and the engine of progress in every human endeavor. It also raises a wealth of neglected and yet evocative philosophical questions: What is the role of consciousness in the creative process? How does the audience for a work for art influence its creation? How can creativity emerge through childhood pretending? Do great works of literature give us insight into human nature? Can a computer program really be creative? How do we define creativity in the first place? Is it a virtue? What is the difference between creativity in science and art? Can creativity be taught? The new essays that comprise The Philosophy of Creativity take up these and other key questions and, in doing so, illustrate the value of interdisciplinary exchange. Written by leading philosophers and psychologists involved in studying creativity, the essays integrate philosophical insights with empirical research. -- from dust jacket