where-good-ideas-come-from

Justafewminutesago,Itookthispictureabout10blocksfromhere.ThisistheGrandCafehereinOxford.ItookthispicturebecausethisturnsouttobethefirstcoffeehousetoopeninEnglandin1650.That'sitsgreatclaimtofame,andIwantedtoshowittoyou,notbecauseIwanttogiveyouthekindofStarbuckstourofhistoricEngland,butratherbecausetheEnglishcoffeehousewascrucialtothedevelopmentandspreadofoneofthegreatintellectualfloweringsofthelast500years,whatwenowcalltheEnlightenment.0:47AndthecoffeehouseplayedsuchabigroleinthebirthoftheEnlightenment,inpart,becauseofwhatpeopleweredrinkingthere.Because,beforethespreadofcoffeeandteathroughBritishculture,whatpeopledrank--botheliteandmassfolksdrank--day-inandday-out,fromdawnuntilduskwasalcohol.Alcoholwasthedaytimebeverageofchoice.Youwoulddrinkalittlebeerwithbreakfastandhavealittlewineatlunch,alittlegin--particularlyaround1650--andtopitoffwithalittlebeerandwineattheendoftheday.Thatwasthehealthychoice--right--becausethewaterwasn'tsafetodrink.Andso,effectivelyuntiltheriseofthecoffeehouse,youhadanentirepopulationthatwaseffectivelydrunkallday.Andyoucanimaginewhatthatwouldbelike,right,inyourownlife--andIknowthisistrueofsomeofyou--ifyouweredrinkingallday,andthenyouswitchedfromadepressanttoastimulantinyourlife,youwouldhavebetterideas.Youwouldbesharperandmorealert.Andsoit'snotanaccidentthatagreatfloweringofinnovationhappenedasEnglandswitchedtoteaandcoffee.1:48Buttheotherthingthatmakesthecoffeehouseimportantisthearchitectureofthespace.Itwasaspacewherepeoplewouldgettogetherfromdifferentbackgrounds,differentfieldsofexpertise,andshare.Itwasaspace,asMattRidleytalkedabout,whereideascouldhavesex.Thiswastheirconjugalbed,inasense--ideaswouldgettogetherthere.Andanastonishingnumberofinnovationsfromthisperiodhaveacoffeehousesomewhereintheirstory.2:12I'vebeenspendingalotoftimethinkingaboutcoffeehousesforthelastfiveyears,becauseI'vebeenkindofonthisquesttoinvestigatethisquestionofwheregoodideascomefrom.Whataretheenvironmentsthatleadtounusuallevelsofinnovation,unusuallevelsofcreativity?What'sthekindofenvironmental--whatisthespaceofcreativity?AndwhatI'vedoneisI'velookedatbothenvironmentslikethecoffeehouse;I'velookedatmediaenvironments,liketheworldwideweb,thathavebeenextraordinarilyinnovative;I'vegonebacktothehistoryofthefirstcities;I'veevengonetobiologicalenvironments,likecoralreefsandrainforests,thatinvolveunusuallevelsofbiologicalinnovation;andwhatI'vebeenlookingforissharedpatterns,kindofsignaturebehaviorthatshowsupagainandagaininalloftheseenvironments.Arethererecurringpatternsthatwecanlearnfrom,thatwecantakeandkindofapplytoourownlives,orourownorganizations,orourownenvironmentstomakethemmorecreativeandinnovative?AndIthinkI'vefoundafew.3:12Butwhatyouhavetodotomakesenseofthisandtoreallyunderstandtheseprinciplesisyouhavetodoawaywithalotofthewayinwhichourconventionalmetaphorsandlanguagesteersustowardscertainconceptsofidea-creation.Wehavethisveryrichvocabularytodescribemomentsofinspiration.Wehavethekindoftheflashofinsight,thestrokeofinsight,wehaveepiphanies,wehaveeureka!moments,wehavethelightbulbmoments,right?Alloftheseconcepts,askindofrhetoricallyfloridastheyare,sharethisbasicassumption,whichisthatanideaisasinglething,it'ssomethingthathappensofteninawonderfulilluminatingmoment.3:55Butinfact,whatIwouldargueandwhatyoureallyneedtokindofbeginwithisthisideathatanideaisanetworkonthemostelementallevel.Imean,thisiswhatishappeninginsideyourbrain.Anidea--anewidea--isanewnetworkofneuronsfiringinsyncwitheachotherinsideyourbrain.It'sanewconfigurationthathasneverformedbefore.Andthequestionis:howdoyougetyourbrainintoenvironmentswherethesenewnetworksaregoingtobemorelikelytoform?Anditturnsoutthat,infact,thekindofnetworkpatternsoftheoutsideworldmimicalotofthenetworkpatternsoftheinternalworldofthehumanbrain.4:28SothemetaphorI'dliketheuseIcantakefromastoryofagreatideathat'squiterecent--alotmorerecentthanthe1650s.AwonderfulguynamedTimothyPrestero,whohasacompanycalled...anorganizationcalledDesignThatMatters.Theydecidedtotacklethisreallypressingproblemof,youknow,theterribleproblemswehavewithinfantmortalityratesinthedevelopingworld.Oneofthethingsthat'sveryfrustratingaboutthisisthatweknow,bygettingmodernneonatalincubatorsintoanycontext,ifwecankeepprematurebabieswarm,basically--it'sverysimple--wecanhalveinfantmortalityratesinthoseenvironments.So,thetechnologyisthere.Thesearestandardinalltheindustrializedworlds.Theproblemis,ifyoubuya$40,000incubator,andyousenditofftoamid-sizedvillageinAfrica,itwillworkgreatforayearortwoyears,andthensomethingwillgowronganditwillbreak,anditwillremainbrokenforever,becauseyoudon'thaveawholesystemofspareparts,andyoudon'thavetheon-the-groundexpertisetofixthis$40,000pieceofequipment.Andsoyouenduphavingthisproblemwhereyouspendallthismoneygettingaidandalltheseadvancedelectronicstothesecountries,andthenitendsupbeinguseless.5:40SowhatPresteroandhisteamdecidedtodoistolookaroundandsee:whataretheabundantresourcesinthesedevelopingworldcontexts?Andwhattheynoticedwastheydon'thavealotofDVRs,theydon'thavealotofmicrowaves,buttheyseemtodoaprettygoodjo