Creativity: it’s the secret of what makes humans special. Agustín Fuentes, professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at University of Notre Dame, brings us this optimistic assertion -- that we are defined as a species by our unique capacity for creativity and collaboration.  In THE CREATIVE SPARK, a history of human creativity, he weaves together fascinating stories about our ancestors and explores how creativity has propelled the evolutionary development of our bodies, minds, and cultures over millions of years.
Join Agustín Fuentes on Tuesday, March 21st, as he discusses:
 
·         The history and trajectory of human creativity, from selective foraging and hunting to modern technology.
·         The unique relationship between humans and dogs, the only domesticated animal that shaped our evolutionary path even as we shaped theirs.
·         Evidence that men are not inherently more violent and women are not inherently more domestic.
·         The dark side of human creativity—how social constructs such as race, gender, and nationality incite conflict at levels not seen in other species.
·         Actionable steps we can take to harness our own creative power when it comes to food, sex, art, science, and more.
 
As Fuentes concludes, to make something lasting and useful today you need to understand the nature of your collaboration with others, what imagination can and can't accomplish, and, finally, just how completely our creativity is responsible for the world we live in.
 
About the Author:
Agustín Fuentes is a professor and the chair of Notre Dame’s Department of Anthropology and a National Geographic Explorer. He has contributed to Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Salon.com, and Slate.com. He is the author of Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You, and winner of the W.W. Howells Book Award. He lives in Indiana.