There
are at least two different ways of looking at the concept
of originality, and neither of these ways is mutually exclusive
as proposed by the above statement. Both approaches to what
constitutes "originality" - thinking up something
entirely new that no one else has ever thought of before,
and combining previously discovered ideas in new ways - have
the word "new" in common. One can look at the two
schools of thought and see that they are complementary rather
than at odds with each other. Both are absolutely necessary
for maximizing innovation and discovery.
First,
let's consider the first phrase of the statement - "Originality
does not mean thinking something that was never thought
before". Coming up with something that has never been
thought of before is probably the absolute pinnacle of originality.
What could be more original than something that has never
before presented itself to the human mind? History is rife
with examples of such inventiveness and imagination. People
have become rich on even very simple ideas that make one
exclaim: "Why didn't I think of that?"
Brand
new ideas are often scoffed at or ridiculed in the beginning.
The idea that the world was flat was taken as a given until
a group of explorers with a novel idea proved that the world
was indeed round by circumnavigating the globe. Albert Einstein's
Theory of Relativity had never been thought of before -
can anyone honestly say that this was not an "original"
idea? Thomas Alva Edison's entire (and quite amazing) career
was based on thinking of things that no one had ever thought
of before. Can anyone claim that his inventions lacked originality?
On the contrary, thinking up ideas that have never been
thought before would seem to the "purest" sense
of originality as something that is wholly and entirely
brand new to the human species.
Similarly,
putting together previously thought of ideas in news ways
is just another branch of the notion of originality. Looking
back to the example of Einstein's Theory of Relativity,
there have been tremendous strides made throughout the sciences
using his theory as a basis for theoretical and physical
research and development. Combining Einstein's theories
with theories on different subjects and areas that had never
been looked at before also represents "originality"
as they are used to develop new ideas and concepts. Edison
is credited with more than one thousand patented ideas.
These ideas have been combined with other people's ideas
in creative and imaginative ways that Edison never could
have imagined. From Edison's invention of the phonograph,
we now have compact disks and MP3 digitized music files.
The combination of Edison's never-before-thought-of ideas
and the technology behind the digital revolution has led
to the development of innovative and original methods of
listening to music.
Finally,
one need to only think about the concept that "originality
means combining previously thought of ideas in new ways"
to see that it is fundamentally in error. The statement
presupposes that all basic ideas that could be thought up
have already been proposed, and that there are no new ideas
that have never been thought of before. This brings to mind
the infamous statement made by the director of the United
States Patent Office to U.S. President McKinley in 1899:
"Everything that can be invented has already been invented."
Concepts that we cannot even imagine will continue to be
thought of for as long as people have the capability of
thought. The true definition of originality must include
both brand new, previously unheard of ideas as well as the
later combination of those ideas in new-fangled ways to
create something innovative.
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