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עמוד:37
Defining Human Creativity and Intelligence 1 Mention the names of Albert Einstein , the scientist , Pablo Picasso , the artist , and Martha Graham , the choreographer , and all will agree that they were incredibly creative geniuses . Recently , however , experts in education , intelligence and brain science have been wondering what the nature of creativity is . How exactly does one define creativity ? Can anyone learn to be creative ? The simplest definition of creativity found in the dictionary is : "the ability to think of new ideas and ways to solve problems . " On a more complex level , creativity may be defined as the ability to use one ' s imagination and intelligence in order to produce original ideas and interpretations of the world . Obviously , the famous artists , Nobel Prize winners and inventors who have made great contributions to our lives would all be considered creative according to both these definitions . But is creativity limited to just a few exceptionally talented people who have made their marks in their fields and revolutionized our lives ? Howard Gardner , a well known neurologist who has researched intelligence , believes that every person can be creative in some way . According to Gardner ' s theory of multiple intelligences , each person has the potential to develop different skills , creative abilities and intelligences to different degrees . To Gardner , intelligence is not a matter of having only verbal and mathematical skills , which is what most traditional IQ tests measure . Rather , there are at least eight different areas or types of intelligence . Seen in this way , Einstein must have had a special and creative "logicalmathematical" intelligence and Pablo Picasso a very high degree of " visualspatial" intelligence . Mahatma Gandhi , who peacefully led the Indian nation to independence , could be considered a genius in "interpersonal skills . " 4 Gardner believes that it is important to recognize and develop all types of intelligence and creativity . This may mean that we should not limit our definition of creativity to just imaginative artists , musicians and architects , people who are usually encouraged to create . People with all types of intelligence and talent can be considered just as potentially creative . Athletes , teachers , dancers and auto mechanics all have special skills that enable them to express their creative ideas in their own ways . 5 It may be possible to conclude from the above that creativity can be found in us all but that most of us are not aware of our own creativity . Maybe it takes a special kind of talent for each one of us to discover the creativity in ourselves and in those around us .
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