Creating a Culture of Ideas
Nicholas Negroponte,
Technology Review,
Jan 27, 2003
There's a lot just under the surface of this engaging article. "To build a nation of innovators," asserts the author, "we should focus on youth, diversity, and collaboration." Well to build a nation of anything you need youth; the more salient points lie in the direction of diversity and collaboration. Well, mostly diversity. It's a hard thing to get right, because people inherently fear that which is different. Hence, "our biggest challenge in stimulating a creative culture is finding ways to encourage multiple points of views." Well, yeah, but diversity means a lot more than traditional dances and colourful costumes. I would submit that diversity requires at a minimum linguistic differences, religious difference, and philosophical difference. Is the United States ready for that? Is Canada? "The ability to make big leaps of thought is a common denominator among the originators of breakthrough ideas. Usually this ability resides in people with very wide backgrounds, multidisciplinary minds, and a broad spectrum of experiences. Family influences, role models, travel, and living in diverse settings are obvious contributors, as are educational systems and the way cultures value youth and perspective. As a society, we can shape some of these. Some we can’t. A key to ensuring a stream of big ideas is accepting these messy truths about the origin of ideas and continuing to reward innovation and celebrate emerging technologies." Read this article.
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