Dear Commons Community,

A couple of days ago, Susan Cain, the author of the forthcoming book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,  had an article in the New York Times on what she calls, the New Groupthink.  She questions the popular opinion among corporations, schools and I am sure many contributors to the CUNY Academic Commons, that holds that creativity and achievement come from collaborations and working in teams.  She laments that solitude is “out of fashion”.

She cites research that suggests that people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption and  “the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted, according to studies by psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Gregory Feist. They’re extroverted enough to exchange and advance ideas, but see themselves as independent and individualistic. They’re not joiners by nature.“

One explanation for these findings is that introverts are comfortable working alone — and solitude is a catalyst to their  innovation.   The  influential psychologist Hans Eysenck observed, introversion fosters creativity by “concentrating the mind on the tasks in hand, and preventing the dissipation of energy on social and sexual matters unrelated to work.” In other words, a person sitting quietly under a tree in the backyard, while everyone else is clinking glasses on the patio, is more likely to have an apple land on his head. (Newton was one of the world’s great introverts: William Wordsworth described him as “A mind for ever/ Voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone.”)

Something to think about.  Maybe we should form a Commons Group to discuss this further.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

John Huntsman dropped his bid to become the presidential candidate for the Republican Party, leaving five contenders (Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Perry, and Paul).  In his departure speech, he endorsed Mitt Romney and cast salvos at President Barack Obama.

Last night was also yet another debate among the remaining candidates.  This one was in South Carolina and  sponsored by Fox News.  I have to admit I did not have it in me to watch another debate.  The media reports indicated that the candidates directed their attacks at the front-runner Romney.  The New York Times, for instance. summarized the debate:

“…from the moment the debate began, Mr. Romney was besieged by his opponents, all of whom are trying to survive the winnowing process of the early primaries and emerge as a singular challenger to him. They pointedly called on him to disclose his tax returns, explain whether his corporate buyout firm Bain Capital had created or killed jobs and account for his evolving views on social issues like abortion.”

Most  observers have concluded that Romney will be the Republican nominee.  The South Carolina Primary is in five days.

Tony