The Runaway Species: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of The Runaway Species, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
Humans constantly remake the world
Eagleman, a neuroscientist, and Brandt, a composer, argue that humans are a runaway species, driven to create new things.
They explain creativity as the brain's way of reworking what it already knows.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Creativity bends the familiar
The authors describe bending, changing an existing idea's shape, size or form.
Many inventions are bent versions of older ones. In their account, a familiar thing can become new when someone stretches it, shrinks it or changes its shape.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Creativity breaks things apart
The authors describe breaking, taking something whole and splitting it into pieces to rebuild in new ways.
In their account, taking a thing apart lets people see its parts clearly and use them in a different arrangement.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Creativity blends ideas
The authors describe blending, combining two or more sources into something new.
In their account, mixing ideas from different fields can give results that neither source could produce alone. Many works that feel fresh are blends of things that already exist.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
The brain seeks novelty
The authors argue that the brain quickly grows used to repetition and seeks surprise.
In their account, this need for new input explains why people tire of the same thing and why fashions, tastes and tools keep changing.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Balance novelty and familiarity
The authors argue that successful creations are new enough to interest people but familiar enough to understand.
In their account, a work that is too new may seem confusing, while one that is too familiar may feel dull.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Art and science share methods
The authors show examples from both art and science using the same creative strategies.
In their account, this shows that creativity is a general human skill and not limited to one field.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Generate many options
The authors argue that creative people produce many ideas and then select the best.
In their account, a large pool of ideas makes it more likely that a few will be excellent.
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