The Provisional

“When everything changes from one second to the next” is a common phrase that expresses moments of important encounters or fateful events. It highlights the creative - even life-changing - potential that lies dormant within even the smallest units of time, both in a positive and a negative sense. But being intentionally creative in just a few seconds - how is that even possible? Some experts devel...

Sorry for the delay of this episode. I was dealing with an important family matter. "Lighting a counter fire, or: What conditions are necessary for creativity to emerge in an emergency situation?"  This is the central question of this episode, and of the podcast in general, and I address it through examples from fire fighting and kayaking, along with film scenes from World War Z, Titanic and Jaws....

"How is it that people would rather burn in a house than run out into the street without pants?" Harald Welzer (a social psychologist from Germany) once asked. The answer to this very interesting question is certainly not that people were irrational or crazy. Instead, this episode shows that, from a certain perspective, something very understandable, almost normal, is happening here. But it also b...

“We have to improvise”—a phrase we often hear when something doesn’t go as planned, when a part is missing, when systems fail. It’s a word that surfaces often, especially in times of crisis. Now, even though most of us have an intuitive sense of what improvisation is, but: What exactly is it, what is improvisation? It’s not an easy question to answer. But one thing is certain: time plays a crucial...

Creativity works like a marshalling yard, or: how do I remove a spider from a wall, which is a real emergency for some? By using a drinking glass as a spider transport device. All this is nothing more than a core strategy of creativity. Sources used: Hofstadter D. & Sander E. (2013) .  Surfaces and Essences. Analogies as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking, New York, Basic Books.  Sound: Water is poured...

Analogical thinking and its allies, or: who or what invented Wilson? A strong connection between analogical thinking, aesthetic perception, emotion, and memory came into play, helping the stranded man create a companion. Chuck's own contribution at the crucial moment? A minimal correction...and...distance. Sources used: Cast Away , Film from Robert Zemeckis, 2000, with Tom Hanks. Ratatouille,  Pix...

In both Cast Away and Apollo 13, the protagonists had to rely on the arsenal of on-board resources. This podcast explores that concept—a term that comes into play when facing sudden emergencies or extraordinary situations. The *arsenal of on-board resources* can vary dramatically from one situation to another.  Sources used: Apollo 13, Film from Ron Howard, 1995. With Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Ed...

Wilson, the volleyball – a makeshift companion from the film Cast Away – demonstrates basic mechanisms of creative thinking. It is this similarity that not only allows one to build a provisional air filter made from cardboard and socks, but also helps with repurposing items and solving problems. Sources used: Cast away (2000) ,  from Robert Zemeckis, with Tom Hanks. Hofstadter D. & Sander E. (2013...

A sock, some cardboard - after the failed Apollo 13 moon mission from 1970, a number of improvisations and provisional solutions saved the lives of the three crew members and brought them back to earth. What mechanisms of creativity are behind it and where is the connection to everyday situations? Sources used: Apollo 13, Film from Ron Howard, 1995. With Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Ed Harris. All d...