Where Good Ideas Come From: the Natural History of Innovation
Steven Johnson, the author of Everything Bad is Good for You, argues that ‘Eureka!’ moments are seldom what they appear to be. In this book he explores the secrets of inspiration.
Given today’s technology he argues that “radical innovation is extraordinarily accessible to those who know how to cultivate it.”
The printing press, the pencil, the flush toilet, the battery: these are all great ideas. But where do they come from? What kind of environment breeds them? What sparks the flash of brilliance? How do we generate the breakthrough technologies that push forward our lives, our society, our culture?
Steven Johnson’s answers are revelatory as he identifies the seven key patterns behind genuine innovation, and traces them across time and disciplines.
From Darwin and Freud to the halls of Google and Apple, Johnson investigates the innovation hubs throughout modern time and pulls out the approaches and commonalities that seem to appear at moments of originality.
Watch author Steven Johnson explain where good ideas come from in this TED talk in Oxford.
