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Creative Problem Solving: From Evolutionary and Everyday Perspectives

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Homo Creativus

Part of the book series: Creativity in the Twenty First Century ((CTFC))

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Abstract

Humans by nature are creative problem solvers. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the connections between biological evolution and creativity. Here, the authors make three principal arguments. First, through the arc of human history creative problem solving has been a competitive advantage for the human species. Thus, it is argued that creative thinking is an innate human trait and fundamental to the human experience. Second, everyday acts of creativity serve to underscore the fact that humans are bestowed with a capacity to creatively solve problems. Third, while humans are naturally gifted with the prowess to engage in creative thinking, deliberate creativity methods, such as Creative Problem Solving, can be leveraged to purposefully breed creative solutions. The chapter concludes by examining at a macro-level the polarity between creativity and conformity and describes how this dialectic serves to facilitate cultural evolution.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Creativity and Change Leadership Department, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Gerard J. Puccio

  2. University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland

    Monika Modrzejewska-Świgulska

Authors
  1. Gerard J. Puccio
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  2. Monika Modrzejewska-Świgulska
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerard J. Puccio .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Todd Lubart

  2. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Marion Botella

  3. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Samira Bourgeois -Bougrine

  4. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Xavier Caroff

  5. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Jerome Guegan

  6. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Christophe Mouchiroud

  7. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Julien Nelson

  8. LaPEA, Université de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Franck Zenasni

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Puccio, G.J., Modrzejewska-Świgulska, M. (2022). Creative Problem Solving: From Evolutionary and Everyday Perspectives. In: Lubart, T., et al. Homo Creativus. Creativity in the Twenty First Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99674-1_15

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