Brainwaves
A composer and a neuroscientist unravel the story of human creativity
This week, Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman talk about the science (and practice) of creating new things. We share a lot with the other sentient beings on this planet—love, hunger, death, joy, family, jealousy, rage. There’s one thing, though, we do that other species, for whatever reason, do not: we innovate. We create. And we do so in a symbiotic way with other humans, building and improving on one another’s ideas until suddenly we’ve all got a supercomputer in our back pockets. So what’s at the heart of human creativity? Where does it come from, how does it work, and how can we get better at harnessing our own ingenuity?
Go beyond the episode:
- The Runaway Species by Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman
- Want to learn more about your gray matter? Watch David Eagleman’s PBS series The Brain
- Listen to Maternity, an oratorio for soprano and orchestra, the authors’ first collaboration
Images from The Runaway Species illustrating some key concepts:
An architectural example of bending: Szotynscy and Zaleski's Krzywy Domek ("Warped Building") in Sopat, a Polish sea resort (Topory)
Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.
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Have suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. And rate us on iTunes!
Our theme music was composed by Nathan Prillaman.
