Naturalising creativity

(Current) Perspectives and (Future) Limits

Abstract

This paper explores the possibility of naturalizing creativity. Firstly, it develops the current perspective of cognitive sciences, thus contributing to the naturalization of the creative act. From this point of view, two primary aspects of creativity (i.e., insight and aesthetic pleasure) are explained by scientific terms. A specific thesis is verified on the basis of the empirical evidence: insight and aesthetic pleasure share a common matrix. Both of them are forms of affective meta-appraisal, in which phenomenal feedbacks show that creative processes are occurring at the first level of cognition, in the case of insights on the problem-solving, and in the case of aesthetic pleasure about thei nterpretation of art-works. Secondly, this paper elaborates on a general meta-reflection on naturalism, suggesting that: a) a creative act is not mysterious, as we can understand it through concepts used by ordinary cognition; b) the naturalization has structural limits. Sub-personal explanation cannot provide contextual criteria for recognition and normative reasons for the justification of creative products. This is the fundamental role of hermeneutics in the humanities. Therefore, naturalism cannot be radical, otherwise it would have eliminated the autonomy of history and culture. Creativity can be understoodonly by integrating the cognitive sciences with hermeneutics, and explanation with interpretation.