The Act of Creation (109 page)

Xerxes, 623
X-rays, 195
Xylographs, 121
Yang and Yin, 199
Yeasts, 699
Yeats, W. B., 312, 341, 363, 674
Yoga, 634, 635
Young, Thomas, 672
Zen Buddhism, 157
note on, 177
Zen painting, 376, 377
Zygote, 425, 428
PENGUIN
ARKANA
Modern psychology states that up to a point every
person is an automaton.
The Act of Creation begins where this view ceases to be
true. Koestler affirms that all creatures have the capacity
for creative activity, frequently suppressed by the automatic
routines of thought and behaviour that dominate their
lives. The study of psychology has offered little in the way
of an explanation of the creative process, and Koestler
suggests that we are at our most creative when rational
thought is suspended -- for example in dreams and
trance-like states. Then the mind is capable of receiving
inspiration and insight.
Taking humour as his starting point, Koestler examines
what her terms 'bisociative' thinking -- the creative leap
made by the mind that gives rise to new and startling
perceptions and glimpses of reality. From here he assesses
the workings of the mind of the scientific or artistic genius.
The general reader as well as the reader with a deeper
knowledge of the topics covered will find this richly
documented study of creativity both illuminating and
compelling.
Cover photograph by Eitan Lee Al
PENGUIN                 ISBN 0-14-019191-7
Psychology/Psychiatry
U.K.   £13.99
CAN.   $21.99
U.S.A. $14.95