{"product_id":"origins-of-genius-dean-keith-simonton-9780195128796","title":"Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity","description":"How can we account for the sudden appearance of such dazzling artists and scientists as Mozart, Shakespeare, Darwin, or Einstein? How can we define such genius? What conditions or personality traits seem to produce exceptionally creative people? Is the association between genius and madness really just a myth? These and many other questions are brilliantly illuminated in \u003cem\u003eThe Origins of Genius\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e Dean Simonton convincingly argues that creativity can best be understood as a Darwinian process of variation and selection. The artist or scientist generates a wealth of ideas, and then subjects these ideas to aesthetic or scientific judgment, selecting only those that have the best chance to survive and reproduce. Indeed, the true test of genius is the ability to bequeath an impressive and influential body of work to future generations. Simonton draws on the latest research into creativity and explores such topics as the personality type of the genius, whether genius is genetic or produced by environment and education, the links between genius and mental illness (Darwin himself was emotionally and mentally unwell), the high incidence of childhood trauma, especially loss of a parent, amongst Nobel Prize winners, the importance of unconscious incubation in creative problem-solving, and much more. Simonton substantiates his theory by examining and quoting from the work of such eminent figures as Henri Poincare, W. H. Auden, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Niels Bohr, and many others.\u003cbr\u003e For anyone intrigued by the spectacular feats of the human mind, \u003cem\u003eThe Origins of Genius\u003c\/em\u003e offers a revolutionary new way of understanding the very nature of creativity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Dean Keith Simonton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0195128796\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780195128796\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/08\/1999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.31lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.49h x 6.40w x 1.12d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/24\/1999 pg. 52\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIngram Advance\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/1999 pg. 56\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/1999 pg. 117\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eScitech Book News\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2000 pg. 2","brand":"Dean Keith Simonton","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48437880783103,"sku":"9780195128796","price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_7bdfdbb1-1f97-4121-8cd8-4a220b7ec1d2.jpg?v=1777167401","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/origins-of-genius-dean-keith-simonton-9780195128796","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}