Bending, breaking, and blending: The three cognitive tools behind human innovation
By
Guest Blogger
Summary
Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman explore how human creativity operates through three fundamental cognitive operations—bending, breaking, and blending—that have driven innovation from ancient times to the present. The article argues that these mental tools are universal across all creative domains (music, art, science, technology) and have accelerated innovation throughout human history, from the Agricultural Revolution to modern digital breakthroughs. The authors contend that understanding these core creative processes can help individuals and organizations foster more effective innovation.
Source
bskyBending, breaking, and blending: The three cognitive tools behind human innovationpsychologytoday.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledHumans are continually creative: Whether the raw material is words or sounds or sights, we are food-processors into which the world is fed, and out of which something new emerges.
Eight millennia transpired between the Agricultural Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. Then it only took 120 years to get from the Industrial Revolution to the light bulb.
Our innate cognitive software, multiplied by the massive population of homo sapiens, has produced a society with increasingly faster innovation, one that feeds upon its latest ideas.
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