Lecture
Among the main types of human creativity, we can highlight the following:
We will try to consider the features of these types of creativity in more detail. Creativity as a social action. The concept of social action is associated primarily with the practical activities of people in the sphere of material production and the change or improvement of existing social relations. Activity should be understood as any manifestation of social activity, which is a way of existence of social reality. Social action is a concrete socially significant act localized in space and time of this subject in its content of the subject activity of the subject. Social action appears as a result of the integration of spiritual (intellectual, emotional, volitional) and practical efforts of the social subject (individual, team, group, class, society). In social action, its internal structure can be identified, which forms the relationship of its constituent components in their relatively stable and integral set: the subject of the action and the object (subject) of the action, the way the subject influences the object (forms, means, methods), the purpose and direction of the activity subject, organization of action, space (social localization), the moment (the boundaries of its actual being) and the result (product) of action. Social activities can be classified according to different characteristics. So, depending on the object of the action and the scope of the subject, one should distinguish political, industrial, cognitive, scientific, technical, religious, etc. Actions.
By the nature of the action can be random or planned, spontaneous or conscious, one-act or repetitive, etc. relation to the subject of action are individual, collective, group, class, nationwide, state, national, etc. In terms of the topic under consideration, it is essential that the direction and results ( with a certain degree of conditionality) the following social actions can be singled out: reproductive - aimed at preserving and maintaining the normal functioning of a specific social institution (in the political sphere, for example, electoral campaigns are of such nature, in the field of science - information and training systems, in engineering - standardization ); actions that have a pronounced abolition of some elements of social life (these are actions of social denial - political revolutions, criticism of erroneous concepts in science, the struggle of opposing philosophical ideas, and others); actions to create new forms of social reality and the development of public consciousness. Such actions are nothing but social creativity. The collectivization of agriculture and the development of virgin lands (in the field of economics), the building of the Soviet state and the improvement of socialist democracy (in the sphere of politics), the implementation of the space exploration program (science and technology) are all manifestations of creative action. Noting the relativity and convention from the point of view of the general-dialectical ideas of the division of social actions conducted above, we still consider it necessary to take it into account in the analysis of specific processes of social life. In this case, the interpretation of creativity as a specific type of social action allows us to combine its analysis in psychological and logical aspects with the discussion of the problem in a broader sociological sense. The foregoing is fully applicable to the understanding of scientific creativity.
Scientific creativity is “an activity aimed at the production of new knowledge, which receives social approbation and is included in the system of science”, “a set of higher cognitive processes that expand the boundaries of scientific knowledge.” Creativity in science requires, above all, the acquisition of fundamentally new socially significant knowledge, this has always been the most important social function of science. The content of the “new knowledge” is different. So, A. V. Slavin distinguishes three types of knowledge acquired by people: the discovery of a new empirical (experimental) fact; deduction from the system of initial positions of such concepts and judgments of a specific theory that have not been empirically established; the formation of new concepts and judgments (scientific propositions and principles) that require a change in existing theoretical concepts. According to Art. Popov, scientific creativity can be expressed in the discovery of something new, which before this science was not known, but in reality existed; in the discovery that before this point did not exist in reality and, therefore, was not known to science; in the discovery of historical facts and documents; in a new scientific proof of an idea, etc. So, new results of scientific research are considered as new, which significantly expand and deepen the existing knowledge about objective reality and its properties. Thus, the new is manifested in various forms: in the form of the discovery of a previously unknown objective fact, the establishment of a new law, the creation of a new theory, the formation of a specific style of thinking and the emergence of new research paradigms, etc. The creative process should also include the use of scientific discoveries, solving practical problems with the help of science. In the era of scientific and technological revolution, there is a sharp increase in the volume of new knowledge. Doubling applications for scientific discoveries and inventions occurs on average every 2.5–3 years. Approximately at the same high rates the number of issued patents and copyright certificates, inventions introduced. Considering, in principle, the above definitions of scientific creativity, we still believe that in modern conditions it is not enough to limit the characterization of creativity in science by emphasizing the fact that new knowledge is being produced. The transformation of science into a direct productive force already requires the consideration of the problem of creativity not within the framework of the “knowledge” system only, but as a moment of a single social action in the wider system “science - technology - production”. In expanded form, the formula of this action can be expressed in the following form: FI - PI - P - Pr —Os —PP, where FI is basic research; PI - applied research; P - development; Pr - design; Os - development; PP - industrial production.
The nature of creativity and its content (subjects, objects, methods, means, products, etc.) at each stage of the social action under consideration are different. In a plannedly regulated socialist society, it is necessary to create conditions for ensuring creativity and realizing its results at all levels of scientific and technological progress. Consideration of scientific creativity in the aspect of social action requires, as we see, the involvement in the analysis of the totality of problems arising from the structure of modern science: the ratio of experimental and basic research, scientific management, personnel, information system, financing, planning and organization of science, the implementation of scientific research in production , social orientation of scientific action and others. Similar questions belong to the competence of the now developing "science of science", to the science scholar niyu. Returning to the discussion of the concept of creativity as a social phenomenon, we summarize our definition in the form of the following definition: creativity is a specific social action for the production of new socially significant material and spiritual values. The subsequent analysis will allow to concretize this definition.
Technical creativity Transformation in the modern conditions of science into a direct productive force finds its expression in the emergence and functioning of a single system "science - technology - production." Therefore, the analysis of scientific creativity as a social phenomenon also requires consideration of creativity in technology as one of the necessary components of a holistic social action. The starting point of the analysis of technical creativity is to understand it as an essential point of social practice. Practice is a socio-historical activity of people aimed at transforming nature and improving the system of social relations. In practice, man opposes nature as an object of his activity, expediently transforms it and satisfies his needs. Human needs are based on production and determine the production of necessary products. "Consumption considers the object of production ideally, as an internal image, as a need, as an incentive and as a goal." The practical action is realized on the basis of the social subject’s awareness of the goal of the activity, the means of achieving it, and also the characteristics of the object of transformation. In the process of practice, human needs are objectified, the subjective becomes objective. Objectification is the transformation of a goal from the form of subjective activity into the form of an object. In a higher and complete form, objectification appears in terms of the expression of man’s essential forces: as a creator. The universal means of creative activity is the idea. The reflection in the idea of the properties of the object coincides with the human desire to transform it into a socially significant value. In practice, the object is transformed in accordance with human needs. The content of the idea here goes into the form of activity and from it into the form of being of the created object. Being socially defined integrity, the practice is found in various forms. One of its essential manifestations is technical practice.
The content and levels of this type of practice form the exploitation, production and design of technology. The product of technical practice is technology, reliability and efficiency of functioning of technical devices. Its means are various devices, industrial equipment and test benches, and from the point of view of ideas scientific and technical and natural science theories. Technical practice forms the direct basis of technical creativity. Outside it, without communication with it, there can be no creativity in the field of technology. Technical creativity as a type of practical activity is a specific social phenomenon. Its specificity is determined by the nature of the technical problem, the solution of which requires a real means, an invention or its construction. In contrast to scientific technical creativity, it is directly related to the practice of operating existing technical structures in the process of creating and introducing new structures into production. In technical creativity, practical and spiritual moments of activity are closely intertwined. Practical action is expressed in changing the material of nature with the actual construction of a technical object. Spiritual activity acts as an ideal object construction.
The creative process in technology, encompassing both the search for an idea and its realization, the development of human spiritual potential, and the creation of an object, is a unique synthesis of spiritual and material production. There are, however, other considerations about the nature of technical creativity. So, L. Uvarova reduces the development of technical means to cognitive-transformative activity, and V. Belozertsev characterizes technical creativity only as a kind of spiritual production. Including cognitive-transformative activity, technical creativity nevertheless never boiled down to it. The development as a socially organized form of creativity does not boil down to it. Designing an ideal image of a machine predetermines its production, but it is impossible without actualizing imagination, intuition, thinking, and will. Technical creativity, however, is not a purely spiritual process, as P. Engelmeyer once argued. In his opinion, the embodiment of the idea in the material is a routine operation and is completely devoid of creative content. Later, the position of a purely spiritual character of technical creativity defended F. Dessauer.
The essential points of technical creativity are the search for an idea and its implementation in the material. Historically and relevantly, it can appear in various forms: from empirical concepts to scientific concepts. But in all cases the emergence of a technical object is mediated by the idea. Being objectified, it “dies”, turns into a template, an example of solving a certain type of technical problems. A technical object turns out to be a kind of accumulator of ideas materialized in it. The two most important concepts of technical creativity are technical object and subject of creativity. “Technical object” is an object of technical practice. A common and necessary feature of such an object is a relationship with a concrete historical subject armed with technical knowledge and the ability to exploit, manufacture and design it. The concept of a technical object is of a theoretical nature and cannot be reduced to its empirically fixed forms. The subject of technical creativity is the idea. Without it, it is impossible to carry out creativity. With the help of an idea, technical needs are objectified, become the subject of research and objectification. Thus, technical creativity is an objectively conditioned almost spiritual form-making activity of a person, the specific subject of which is an idea that materializes in a technical object. With the change of social practice, various stages and levels of development of technical creativity are revealed.
In contrast to scientific and technical creativity, artistic creativity does not have a direct focus on novelty; it is not identified with the production of a new one, although originality is usually present among the criteria for artistic creativity and artistic talent ratings. At the same time, art never denied the strength and power of scientific methods and used them to the extent that they helped to solve the main problem of art - the creation of aesthetic values. But at the same time, there is always an understanding in art of superiority over science in the ability to use the power of artistic fiction, intuition and fantasy. Art as a type of human activity differs, in particular, from science in that the elements of illusion, fantasy, ecstasy are not only present in the final results of artistic creativity (this is the case for all creative results), but also have the same, and in essential moments - greater value than the results of direct scientific analysis, synthesis, experiment and observation. Thanks to fantasy and fiction, integrity is realized, figurative in art, art acquires force and independence. Artistic fiction knows neither spatial nor temporal boundaries, does not submit to inertial forces and forces, is deprived of isometric, physical, chemical qualities, and this allows it to penetrate the depths of human passions, to go through fortifications and barriers, to pass sentinels, to attend secret meetings invisibly Supreme State Councils, to experience the mystery of death, to create Pierre Bezukhov, Anna Karenina, Prince Myshkin. To deprive art of fiction, fantastic visions, “broadcasting” and prophecy is the same thing as depriving a boxer of gloves, a lumberjack is an ax, and a seamstress is needles and threads. This is the essence of artistic creativity: to unite free creations of fantasy and reality in the final product of art in such a way as to produce artistic effect — laughter, interest, love, catharsis, hope, anger, etc.
Analysis of the social nature of creativity involves consideration of its specific types, and with them the consideration of activities. First of all, it is possible to single out two major types of activity: material and practical, and spiritual and theoretical. The one and the other in turn include a number of smaller varieties. Practical activity is connected with various branches of production, management, service (industry, agriculture, medicine, etc.). Spiritual-theoretical activity finds expression in various forms of social consciousness (morality, science, art, sense of justice, religion, etc.).
In accordance with the various types of theoretical and practical activity, the types of creativity can be defined: scientific, technical, artistic, law-making, etc. This conclusion is generally fair, but it is also necessary to take into account the specific historical conditions and the interest of individual classes and social groups in the progress of a particular area of public life. In pre-Marxist sociology, the concept of creativity referred only to the work of artists and scientists, while other types of activity were declared non-creative (especially physical labor). Contrasting different types of activity and denying the possibility of creativity in some of them is unlawful. However, this does not mean denying the existence and necessity of non-creative activity, including in those areas of activity for which the monopoly of creativity was recognized. For example, in art - the reproduction of existing works of art, in science, too, not all activity is creative, in particular information retrieval. The identification of individual types of creativity is determined by the general conditions of differentiation of human activity, arising from the social division of labor. At the same time, creativity is synthetic in nature, and the gravitation towards unity is stronger here than anywhere else in human activity. All types of creativity are interconnected both in their origins (the material production activity of people) and in their ultimate goals (to ensure, along with the solution of immediate problems, the global task of comprehensive and harmonious human development). As for scientific creativity, along with these general tendencies, the division of labor and a certain specialization here also depend on the specific conditions of its organization and the level of development of scientific and technological progress. In modern conditions, it is becoming possible and necessary to overcome the previously established division of labor in science, to introduce new forms of specialization: by problems, by general scientific methods, by individual stages of problem solving (information search, problem setting, popularization of research results), etc.
When assessing the role and influence of specific types of creativity, it is important to correlate each type of creativity with social life as a whole and with various types of human activity. Since, for example, the solution of technical problems in modern conditions is possible only on the basis of concretization and implementation of scientific knowledge, then from here follows the closest interconnection of scientific and technical creativity to such an extent that one can speak of the formation of scientific and technical creativity as a single form of creativity. The specific forms of unity of scientific and technical creativity are not exhausted by this, just as their unity does not exclude the relative independence of the development of both. The interconnection between individual types of creativity finds expression in the fruitful development of the junction border areas between them. The connection between scientific and artistic creativity also finds its development. As a result of the interaction of technical creativity with artistic creativity, various types of activity and creativity are formed: architecture, applied arts, design, decorative art, advertising art, etc. Along with emphasizing the interconnection and mutual complementarity of types of creativity, one should also keep in mind the historical tendency of dominance, prevalence of certain types of creativity. For example, on the basis of rapid scientific and technical progress, scientific and technical creativity receives preferential development, and this can reduce the "specific weight" of one or another type of creative activity, without limiting the development of other types. For the most part, the development of some types of creativity contributes to the development of others. In the past, individual manifestations, moments of creativity received predominant development in individual types of creativity: logic - in scientific creativity, imagination - in artistic creativity, experimentation, by the method of "trial and error" - in technical creativity. At present, the limitations of such an understanding of creativity have already been clarified. Although, according to tradition, the use of scientifically based methods of activity is often associated exclusively with scientific creativity, and the development of any type of creativity is understood only as the application of scientific knowledge (technical creativity, creativity in the field of economy, etc.). Thus, the relationship between different types of creativity should be interpreted as mutual influence, and not in terms of displacing or completely absorbing one of them by another.
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General psychology
Terms: General psychology