In reference to an earlier post
I_Wonder said...
"Structure tends to suppress creativity...
With no structure, you can do nothing."
There's some tension between these statements. I accept both as 'true' but they tend to repel one another like matching poles of a magnet.
I think I can assert "structure spurs creativity" and accept it as 'true' also.
I agree with the full post and with your paraphrase, but I still have a nagging feeling that there's more in these two (or three) statements.
Paul said...
With no structure, you can do nothing. With a little structure you can get creative.
With a lot of structure, you can get creative at higher levels. But for the higher level to function well, it must be on a stable platform. That demands predictability and conformity in the supporting structure.
People want to create. To make their supporting platform (nature) more predictable, they dam rivers, flatten terrain, clear trees, kill or domesticate animals, and eliminate germs and bugs.
Corporations and governments want to create. To make their supporting platform (people) more predictable, they will...
(fill in the blank)
(ouch)
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3 comments:
Ah, I think it's beginning to come together. In the original post and paraphrase you wrote "Evolution requires competition and noise, progeny and death." and "You can easily become a cog, serving the machine you work for, (as long as you fit). Either you engage in the messy business of learning and evolving, or you are the fodder for those (organizations) who do."
I'll use the first person (I) as the hypothetical case.
If I remain within the structure of the government or corporation then I'm a cog and my creativity is suppressed to support or further the organization. Statement 1: "Structure tends to suppress creativity."
If I leave the organization then I am in a position to be creative but I need structure to be creative. I need the structure that I develop to support my creativity. Statement 2: “With no structure, you can do nothing."
In my mind, this resolves the initial tension between the two statements.
Another organism’s structure suppresses my creativity. My structure spurs my creativity. Interesting! Evolution is sometimes portrayed as the survival of organisms best suited to the environment. We discussing evolution as organisms controlling the environment to further their own evolution.
(This brings to mind one of your earlier posts concerning a truth where the opposite is also true.)
i wonder,
It does indeed seem to be approaching an example of a great truth that is the opposite of another great truth.
I like the way you manage to pull deeper and more honest meaning from promising but incomplete thoughts.
When wrestling with new concepts, I like having you on my tag team.
There is no contradiction or opposition. Try this:
"With no structure you can do nothing..
Structure tends to suppress creativity."
Think twice!
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