Nov 16, 2008
The inexplicability of ideas
“Making up is a very mysterious thing. When you “have an idea’ could you tell anyone exactly how you thought of it?
(Thanks to my dad for the quote.)
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I suspect people overuse the words “Inspired” and “Genius”. It looks to me like the train of thought generally runs along the tracks that your life has been laying down for it.
No, I could not, and neither could anyone else. I suspect that, when we discover the truth, it will be more humble pie for man.
It is absolutely amazing. I was reading a book on the human brain with my 11 year old son and both of us were just amazed at the complexity of the human brain. God’s creation is incredible.
I’ll file that one away in my box of “reasons why I love C.S. Lewis.” The box is overflowing…
The answer most likely lies in the fertility of the field of the mind…that is why we need to be especially careful of the seeds sown to this field…The computer world might say, garbage in…garbage out….For the Christian…Word of God in…creativity and LIFE out…*: )
This may only prove what an academic and abstract thought life Lewis had. In normal life, an awful lot of ‘idea-having’ is very practical and extremely situational.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I like old C.S. very much. Still…
Nancy: Look at Paul’s creativity in Athens. He looked around at their statues, saw one to an unknown God, remembered a Greek poem by Aratus he had read, and crafted a marvelous piece of natural theology, hoping to persuade some of the pagans and philosophers listening that their hope was not to be found in an idol but in an God as of yet unknown to them who was the creator of the world and who had raised his son from the dead.
Brilliant!
Do you think if he had just read the second commandment that ANYONE
(Sorry, slipped) that ANYONE would have wanted to hear him?
There is plenty of good fodder for the imagination in the natural world, in history, in poetry, in philosophy — all of which can and should be used in the service of the Kingdom!
Bill: I think Lewis is talking about creativity. And do you really think creative idea having, even in a so-called ‘practical’ setting, is really without ‘inspiration’? I certainly think it is and that imagination and craetivity are the most neglected aspects of our education system because no one knows just how important they are. Probably far more important to ADVANCED problem solving than technical knowledge.
Making up is a gift of God no matter how the idea originated. Mysteriously lovely.
Halleluia!
We are fearfully and wonderfully made!
I agree with Laurie…
[...] The inexplicability of ideas [...]
Your question is along the lines of an older one for which i never had answer: we have a brain, but where does “mind” come from? (Though Lewis approached an answer when he talked about participation in the cosmic Logos)…
guess i should keep comments down to 22 words. if we knew how we got to an idea it wouldn’t be lateral.
Myddrin…There IS plenty of fodder out there everywhere…but if he hadn’t known the second commandment so well, and meditated on it often, his produce might not have been so delectably nourishing to his hearers.
When we major on the the Living Word…it certainly colors everything else we input and helps us in discerning the end product of our creativity. Of course Father God meant us to be inspired by the natural world…that is why he crafted it so beautifully and then placed us in the middle of it.
I’ve been thinking somewhat along these lines.
How can we take credit for any idea?
Even further. How can a successful businessman gloat over his prowess?
Without the gifts of talent, gumption, proper environment, and intuition, he’d be a pauper.
Sovereignty … all you need to say …less than 22 words : )