Where do ideas come from?

Where do ideas come from? I have just watched this fascinating TED talk by Henning Beck. He talks about what ideas and thoughts are, and how they are very different from information. Ideas are creative, and require understanding, rather than processing information.

Brains are very different from computers, which are much faster and more accurate at processing. Computers use algorithms, which are a set of instructions for processing an input to produce an output. Our brains, however, use an activity pattern to link parts of the neuronal network so they work together, producing thoughts. A thought is simply the interaction of different neurons.

Computers may be fast and accurate, but it is the mistakes in our brain that create new activity patterns, leading to new thoughts and ideas. We continually have new ideas, and it is our social interaction with other people that lets us try out the ideas to find good ones. This trial and error process is known as concept thinking, and cannot currently be modelled by computers.

Computers can learn, but they don’t understand. Understanding allows us to change the way we process information, which means there will always be tasks that we are better at than computers. We need to steer clear of processes that require efficiency, as they will quickly be replaced by algorithms. Instead, we should focus on ideas and creativity. Often our best ideas come to us in our downtime, when we are relaxing and not even thinking about the problem.

So, it is important to take breaks after focusing on a task, to allow us to step back and see the bigger picture while we are doing something else less taxing. We also need to surround ourselves with opinions that differ from our own, to challenge and inspire us to spark new ideas by changing our way of thinking.

Project 365

I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.

I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.

The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 281 days to go!