To have a meaningful conversation about knowledge and creativity it is essential to carefully define the words we use. People often use the same words with subtly different meanings. Many English words in every day use are utilised loosely and ambiguously. If we do not think about their usage we greatly hinder communication. Defining our words helps set a framework in which we can better discuss the concepts with which we are dealing. It also helps better differentiate the concepts and relate them to each other in a more meaningful way. So forgive me if I revisit some basic definitions.

Let’s first differentiate between data, information, knowledge and wisdom as the distinctions are often b...

To have a meaningful conversation about knowledge and creativity it is essential to carefully define the words we use. People often use the same words with subtly different meanings. Many English words in every day use are utilised loosely and ambiguously. If we do not think about their usage we greatly hinder communication. Defining our words helps set a framework in which we can better discuss the concepts with which we are dealing. It also helps better differentiate the concepts and relate them to each other in a more meaningful way. So forgive me if I revisit some basic definitions.

Let’s first differentiate between data, information, knowledge and wisdom as the distinctions are often blurred or confused. Although knowledge is often seen as a richer form of information this differentiation is not terribly helpful. A more useful definition of knowledge is that it is about know-how and know-why. A simple non-business metaphor is that of a cake. An analysis of its molecular constituents is data – for most purposes not very useful – you may not even be able to tell it were a cake. A list of ingredients is information – more useful – an experienced cook could probably make the cake – the data has been given context. The recipe though would be knowledge – written knowledge - explicit knowledge – it tells you how-to make the cake. On the other hand an inexperienced cook even with the recipe might not make a very good cake. A person, however, with relevant knowledge, experience, and skill – knowledge in their heads - that is not easily written down - tacit knowledge – would almost certainly make an excellent cake from the recipe. Finally wisdom – well that’s about knowing which cake to make! It is about wise judgement.

Actually, I have found, as a teacher, creativity is an essential part of retaining knowledge. The techniques I've developed for rapid development of foreign language skills all rely on very similar principles to this.

One of the most important is that our brain seems to remember words and concepts not through their identities, but rather through the territory they inhabit when creatively linked to the other concepts.

Thus, I understand salmon not merely as a salmon, but as a concept that inhabits a space between a web in my mind that includes strands tying it to words like "river" "sushi" "silver" "fish" but also "totem pole."

Why totem pole? Because salmon was eaten by the Tsimishan trib...

Actually, I have found, as a teacher, creativity is an essential part of retaining knowledge. The techniques I've developed for rapid development of foreign language skills all rely on very similar principles to this.

One of the most important is that our brain seems to remember words and concepts not through their identities, but rather through the territory they inhabit when creatively linked to the other concepts.

Thus, I understand salmon not merely as a salmon, but as a concept that inhabits a space between a web in my mind that includes strands tying it to words like "river" "sushi" "silver" "fish" but also "totem pole."

Why totem pole? Because salmon was eaten by the Tsimishan tribe, who also carved totem poles. This is a creative connection, as opposed to a mundane one, and it is the creative ones that the mind stores more readily than the mundane ones.

Thus, the use of your own creativity in developing the mental identity of a concept dramatically increases your ability to retain knowledge in your long term memory.

I believe this is because we fundamentally use the abstract neo-cortext of our brain to think, thus, learning is a congnitive function. Therefore, the more cognition involved, the easier it is for your mind to recognize and store the relevant information.

By the way, here are my definitions:

1. Knowledge:

Information from an external source, reserved internally.

Another way of putting it is to say that knowledge is empirical perceptions that have been converted to rational conepts in order to be retained and applied outside of the immediate context of their empirical perception.

(Id Est: I see the chair. I leave the room, but still know of the chair, and can talk about it, and hence, even if you set it on fire and scatter the ashes, the mental chair persists.)

2. Creativity:

Creativity is the synthesis of rational concepts independent of direct empirical inspiration. That is to say, that although the empirical is often involved in th...

By the way, here are my definitions:

1. Knowledge:

Information from an external source, reserved internally.

Another way of putting it is to say that knowledge is empirical perceptions that have been converted to rational conepts in order to be retained and applied outside of the immediate context of their empirical perception.

(Id Est: I see the chair. I leave the room, but still know of the chair, and can talk about it, and hence, even if you set it on fire and scatter the ashes, the mental chair persists.)

2. Creativity:

Creativity is the synthesis of rational concepts independent of direct empirical inspiration. That is to say, that although the empirical is often involved in the creative process, it is a trigger, not a pattern.

Id Est: When I see salmon and think fish, I am following an empircal patern. That which has scales and fins and gills and lives in the water is a fish. Salmon fits this check list, therefore it is a fish. This is not creative because I am following a template that was observed, rather than created. (Although the extent to which we create all these templates is an important question in determining the ultimate possiblity or impossiblity of objective knowldege.)

On the other hand, creative process is rationaly, not empirically associating two concepts. Thus, Salmon can make me think of Giacomo Puccini, not because I eat salmon while listening to opera, but because Umberto Eco wrote a collection of essays called "How to Travel With A Salmon." Eco is an Italian. Italy is renowned for opera. Puccini wrote Opera. This free-association is creative because it is not based on a link which can be observed, but instead based on links that my mind creates in order to organize knowledge.

By these definitions, creativity is an essential part of knowledge, and it also suggests that "knowledge" and it's two witnesses, perception and memory, are all startlingly subjective things.