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The Palgrave Handbook of Social Creativity Research pp 393–405Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Evaluation of Creativity Is Always Local

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture ((PASCC))

Abstract

In this essay, I argue that evaluation of creativity is always local. What is considered creative varies from one place and one time to another. The result is that work that at a given time or in a given place is viewed as ordinary may come to be viewed as creative at another time or in another place. Similarly, wisdom and intelligence also need to be evaluated locally. Attempts to generate purely universal theories of what is “creative,” or “wise” or “intelligent,” inevitably end up imposing one set of values on contexts where those theories are not relevant, and may even be contraindicated.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Robert J. Sternberg

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  1. Robert J. Sternberg
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Correspondence to Robert J. Sternberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland

    Izabela Lebuda

  2. Department of Psychology, Webster University Geneva, Bellevue, Switzerland

    Vlad Petre Glăveanu

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Sternberg, R.J. (2019). Evaluation of Creativity Is Always Local. In: Lebuda, I., Glăveanu, V.P. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Social Creativity Research. Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95498-1_24

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