The Runaway Species: How human creativity remakes the world
New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist David Eagleman teams up with composer Anthony Brandt in this powerful, wide-ranging exploration of human creativity. Together, they incisively explore how individuals, organizations, and educational institutions can benefit from fostering creativity, while celebrating humanity’s unique ability to remake the world.
The Runaway Species is a deep-dive into the creative mind, a celebration of the human spirit, and a vision of how we can improve our future by understanding and embracing our ability to innovate. Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman seek to answer the question: what lies at the heart of humanity’s ability―and drive―to create?
Our ability to remake our world is unique among all living things. But where does our creativity come from, how does it work, and how can we harness it to improve our lives, schools, businesses, and institutions?
Brandt and Eagleman examine hundreds of examples of human creativity through dramatic storytelling and stunning images. By drawing out what creative acts have in common, and viewing them through the lens of cutting-edge neuroscience, they uncover the essential elements of this critical human ability -- and open the way to a more creative future.
“A lively exploration of the software our brains run in search of the mother lode of invention… The Runaway Species is beautifully produced, illustrated and written. It sweeps the reader through examples from engineering, science, product design, music and the visual arts to trace the roots of creative thinking to three key mental skills: bending, breaking and blending.”
Kirkus Reviews (Starred):
"A book astonishing for its simplicity in explaining the threads that link creativity in the arts, sciences, and technology... the book offers surprises and insights at every turn, and the authors argue convincingly that basic strategies inform most creative behavior... Essential—and highly pleasurable—reading for anyone who cares about ideas and innovation."
Booklist:
"Art and science converge in this beautiful collaboration. . . . Divided into three parts, this inquiry covers a complicated set of connected topics in an engaging and surprisingly accessible way. . . . Packed with vivid images, countless examples, and fun facts that will leave readers eager to discuss it with friends, this is a refreshing and thought-provoking book that captures both the wonder of science and the beauty of the human spirit."
"The Runaway Species: How Creativity Remakes the World is an intriguing and riveting mélange of perspectives that successfully delineates what creativity and innovation are about. It is an outstanding and inspirational volume that will have a broad and global appeal. It will categorically transport the reader into the past and the future fusing them together as one scientific structure, constituting an electrifying and enlightening scholarly reading."
"A paean to the ingenuity of the human species, a description of the anatomy of creativity and a rallying cry to cultivate our skills for the benefit of our collective future."
"Brandt and Eagleman have written an exuberant book about creativity. If you were a fan of James Burke’s brilliant Connections, or perhaps of Don Norman’s ruminations on design, there’s a similarly sumptuous buffet of brain candy here on which to pig out."
" It’s a belter of a book for anyone with an interest in neuroscience, creativity or education...Understanding ourselves and our creativity is a journey that also helps us to understand what makes us human. The Runaway Species not only makes the complex readable, but also opens a fascinating world that exists between predictability and surprise."
