Creativity or Genius ... and Genius

David Gelernter, in an interview with In character defines creativity as the ability to assemble two different ideas or thoughts into a cognitive whole, or ...

In Character: How would you define creativity?
David Gelernter: The ability to see a relation between two seemingly unrelated ideas, and to draw conclusions.
...

This is a sensible and important statement from an insightful and creatively active person, a victim of The Unabomber, who doubtless has had reason to contemplate such profound matters...and profoundly.

Still, this is a sticky question that has long occupied my mind and indeed my being and I would not let the opportunity pass either to endorse Gelernter's essential point or to underscore it with the significant extension that "The ability to see a relation between two (or more) seemingly unrelated ideas, and to develop another not foreseen, heretofore seen, or perhaps not imagined is not only the signature of the creative but of what is properly called genius."

Not all creative persons are geniuses (me) and not all geniuses are creative (some are mere misfits), but it is to be doubted whether there can be genius absent the creative impulse at work underlying the products of genius.

Hot Dog!

Actually, today is the coolest day in some time -- about 77°, so I'm informed. Still, I am hot: tried to leave the garage without opening the door first.

Oh, I think I hit the button, all right, but either I was distracted by a box on the garage floor that I have to send UPS, or I didn't really make contact witht he fussy button, or ... in any case, i didn't LOOK first.

And then I drove across the newly planted grass on the far side of the driveway when I backed out, stopped, checked out the door a couple of times, got back in, but failed to pull forward before turning to pull out onto the road.

My spouse will adore me for this. Oh, no: for these.