Anyone interested in the source of creativity will want to check out my brother Joshua Wolf Shenk's new series on creative pairs in Slate. He brilliantly and boldly takes on the overpowering myth of solo accomplishment that so much of our culture is built upon.
For hundreds of years, science and culture have focused on the self. We talk of self-expression, self-realization. Popular culture celebrates the hero. Schools test intelligence and learning through solo exams. Biographies shape our view of history.
And yet:
Collaboration yields so much of what is novel, useful, and beautiful.
The series, and the book that will eventually follow, is going to weave together biology, psychology, history, and popular culture in an effort to ferret out why collaborations happen and how they work.
Needless to say, he welcomes your input.
Read the full story at Slate.
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