Creativity pervades human life. It is the mark of individuality, the vehicle of self-expression, and the engine of progress in every human endeavor. It also raises a wealth of neglected and yet evocative philosophical questions. The Philosophy of Creativity takes up these questions and, in doing so, illustrates the value of interdisciplinary exchange.

I. Introduction ; Elliot Samuel Paul & Scott Barry Kaufman ; Introducing The Philosophy of Creativity ; II. The Concept of Creativity ; 1) Bence Nanay ; An Experiential Account of Creativity ; III. Aesthetics & Philosophy of Art ; 2) Gregory Currie ; Creativity and Insight ; 3) Noel Carroll ; The Creative Audience: Some Ways in which Readers, Viewers and/or Listeners Use their Imaginations to Engage Fictional Artworks ; 4) Christopher Peacocke ; The Products of Musical Creativity ; IV. Ethics & Value Theory ; 5) Owen Flanagan ; Performing Oneself ; 6) Matthew Kieran ; Creativity as a Virtue of Character ; V. Philosophy of Mind & Cognitive Science ; 7) Simon Blackburn ; Creativity and Not So Dumb Luck ; 8) Dustin Stokes ; The Role of Imagination in Creativity ; 9) Roy F. Baumeister, Brandon J. Schmeichel, & C. Nathan DeWall ; Creativity, Consciousness, and Free Will: Evidence from Psychology Experiments ; 10) Elizabeth Picciuto & Peter Carruthers ; The Origins of Creativity ; 11) Margaret Boden ; Creativity and Artificial Intelligence: a Contradiction in Terms? ; VI. Philosophy of Science ; 12) Dean Keith Simonton ; Hierarchies of Creative Domains: Disciplinary Constraints on Blind-Variation and Selective-Retention ; VII. Philosophy of Education (& Education of Philosophy) ; 13) Berys Gaut ; Educating for Creativity ; 14) Alan Hajek ; Philosophical Heuristics

The essays in this anthology explore many of [creativity's] aspects, presenting familiar philosophical issues in less familiar contexts, which is an encouragement to take a fresh look at those issues and perhaps rethink our opinions. Creativity is looked at in relation to literature, music, audience response, character, imagination, the unconscious, and artificial intelligence ... the compilers of the anthology are to be congratulated on its range and variety.

"The editors have done a very good job. It is a good place to start. The anthology is a useful resource to get both familiar with creativity, e.g. for students and researcher, but also to be inspired to raise new questions about this multifaceted concept. Many authors thank the editors, so do I." --Metapsychology Online Reviews

Selling point: Integrates philosophical and psychological scholarship on creativity Selling point: Explores the role of deliberate practice in creativity Selling point: Argues for the importance of arts education as well as strong science programs

Elliot Samuel Paul is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Barnard College, Columbia University, and is co-founder of The Creativity Post (creativitypost.com), a non-profit web platform that features quality content on creativity, innovation and imagination. Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., is scientific director of the Imagination Institute and investigates the measurement and development of imagination, creativity and well-being in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written or edited seven books, including Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (with Carolyn Gregoire) and Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. He is also co-founder of The Creativity Post, host of The Psychology Podcast, and he writes the blog Beautiful Minds for Scientific American. Kaufman lives in Philadelphia.

Selling point: Integrates philosophical and psychological scholarship on creativity Selling point: Explores the role of deliberate practice in creativity Selling point: Argues for the importance of arts education as well as strong science programs