Too many criteria

• Evolutional Psychology/Anthropological Psychology by Ed Riemann LCSW, 1/2/97
  • Thoughts about CVA & Complex Adaptive Systems by James Brody, 1/5/97
    • Too Much Criteria/Too Little Creativity by Ed Riemann LCSW, 1/14/97
      
      

To: Ed Reimann about too many criteria/ too little creativity:

I have persistent skepticism of raw creativity whether in my sculpture classes in '62 or in Delgado's lab in '70 or now in my middle years. Rules let us be more than moths chasing every new flame. Thus, I like Peter Medawar's chiseled humor as well as his insights about Life, George Williams' caution about language and labels, and EO Wilson's architecture. Gould and Dawkins have been, can be, and will be fun (although Dawkins, at my age plus a year, is too much "evolution = misery" of late and may need some DHEA. Check the dialogue in "Psych Today.") All these guys have rules but are wildly creative.

I picked up Haldane's Causes of Evolution and learned that he, Fisher, and Wright are credited with reversing some of the creationist movement in the '30s. Because of them, I have some greater freedom of opinion and information than might have otherwise been. These teachers have given to all of us, including a set of definitions that keep us within science and out of unchanneled fantasy. Incidentally, not all is harmony within the scientific group. Lynn Margulis (her essay in Brockman's "3rd Culture") calls all of them very bright if incompetent about evolution because they don't know biology or chemistry!

The Santa Barbara group (Barkun, Cosmides, Tooby) specify a model of Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), a model that accounts for many phenomena that I see in my practice. It allows me to explain to mom and teachers why Joey can't pay attention in class but can when fishing or climbing. It lets me rebut Russ Barkley who suggested in the past that 12 yo ADHD kids are too immature (because of ADHD) to baby sit, yet many of my 12 yo clients do far better than average kids with child care tasks or with helping younger children in school. The EP model of Complex Adaptive Systems lets me account for persistent, domineering, manic behavior in kids that are normally distractible and erratic in many academic and social tasks. The model also allows me to understand why a depressed adult may have many areas for which they do not show depressed behavior. Richard Dawkins might compare the CAS idea to a gene; "enzyme" also fits. The CAS model allows Life to beat the 2nd Law one more time when we transform vast arrays of informational clutter into crystalline order

Creativity intoxicates but as Korzybski remarked, "To be is to be related."

• Creativity Not Anarchy by Ed Riemann, 2/6/97
  • Requested Reading of Postings by Sidaka, 4/11/97
    • Sorry! Wrong Post by Ed Riemann, 4/11/97