Where Do Ideas Come From?: The Hidden Dimension of Creative Thinking

Is it possible for people to invent or create anything that is truly new? After all, almost all of the ideas for inventions derive from principles already present in nature. The author of this book---a professional inventor who holds more than thirty patents---set out to discover the connections between his work in science and technology and his increasing awareness of a path of inner development. He observed a mutual fertilization of ideas between these two distinct areas that takes place naturally and unintentionally.

As Itzhak Bar Yona continued his "outer" work as an inventor, his research took a new direction into the question of where ideas come from in the first place, and began to realize that he would need to look beyond the process of inventing itself and at the lives and methods of famous inventors. He would need to develop his own inner ability to observe his soul's faculties. To do this, he decided to use the esoteric methods of G. I. Gurdjieff, Rudolf Steiner, and Sri Aurobindo. This book is the result of his inner search for the source of the "inventive step" and the nature of creativity.

Where Do Ideas Come From? probes the deep mystery of human creative drive. Part one raises theoretical questions about human creativity. Part two offers practical examples of the inventor's professional world. Part three allows the reader into the process of invention---how the inventor approaches problems and arrives at creative solutions.

We find the human powers of creation in all areas of human activity---art, technology, science, and social activity. Proponents of modern education, however, prefer to focus on the acquisition of knowledge and skills rather than nurturing creativity, because most educators, scientists, and technologists fail to understand the essence of the creative impulse and the promise it holds.

This deeply insightful book is recommended reading for anyone who is curious about or wishes to develop the hidden dimension of creative thinking.

Itzhak Bar Yona was born in Jerusalem in 1945 and graduated in Architecture at Haifa's institute of technology and is a successful inventor in various fields. He began spiritual research in 1971 as a member of the Gurdjieff School in Israel. Later, he discovered the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Sri Aurobindo and, alone and with various groups, began assimilating in a practical way the wisdom found in them.