Alfonso Montuori WCCI Presentation

On 7 May, Prof. Alfonso Montuori from the California Institute of Integral Studies gave a public talk, part of the Creativity and Innovation Lecture Series, titled “Not your parents’ creativity: Complexity, transdisciplinarity, and the emerging picture of creativity”. In this talk, Prof. Montuori reflected on the historical evolution of our conception of creativity and creative practices. These conceptions and practices cannot be understood outside of their social, economic, political and technological context and the broader debates around human agency, the society we live in, and how we imagine the future.

While there is generally a co-evolution and alignment between beliefs and practice, it is precisely the gaps and tensions between the two that make creativity such a dynamic, open-ended and at times contested phenomenon. Prof. Montuori discussed these issues with reference to gender, generational changes, and technological innovation. He argued for a transdisciplinary approach to creativity as a way of transcending one’s limited perspective, selecting what is relevant for our question and purpose, and developing a more comprehensive view on who is considered creative, how we create, and why.

A podcast with Dr. Montuori can now be heard on the Webster Geneva Podcast Site.