to our survival as a species, the very problems wehope creativity will solve, were brought about by yesterdays creative solutions.Human well-being hinges on two factors: the ability to increase creativity and the ability todevelop better ways to evaluate the impact of new creative ideas. Leaving this to individualsor market forces may not be the right thing to do always. Each field expects society torecognize its autonomy, yet each feels accountable only to itself, according to the rules of itsown domain. It is also doubtful that decisions left to the free market would be wise as far asour future well-being is concerned. Market decisions tend to be oriented to the present, withlittle concern for consequences.We need to find ways that encourage creativity on the basis of the future well-being of thewhole, not just of the separate fields. The greatest art, East or West, was not produced whenthe artists set the agenda, but when patrons insisted on certain standards.A creative person must have a great deal of curiosity and openness on the one hand, and analmost obsessive perseverance on the other. How can we increase the number of people withboth these characteristics?Biological inheritance is only part of the story. Early background has a significant effect.Interest and curiosity tend to be stimulated by positive experiences with family, by asupportive emotional environment, by a rich cultural heritage, by exposure to manyopportunities, and by high expectations. In contrast, perseverance seems to develop asa response to a precarious emotional environment, a dysfunctional family, a feeling ofrejection and marginality. Creative individuals seem more likely to have been exposed to bothcircumstances.A milieu that encourages both solitude and gregariousness may boost creativity. Children whohave not learned to tolerate solitude often fail to develop enough in-depth involvement in adomain and tap opportunities to reflect and incubate ideas. On the other hand, children whoare too shy and reclusive find it difficult to sell their ideas to others.A certain flexibility about gender roles is likely to help. If a child is too strongly socialized toact in terms of a strict gender stereotype, its creativity is likely to be inhibited. A child whois encouraged to question, is likely to develop a problem-finding attitude. A child who isintroduced to inductive reasoning may have an advantage in making sense of the world.Above all else, it helps to become involved in a domain early.Even when not directly integrated in ones work, other domains contribute to the overallmental life of creative individuals. Breadth of knowledge is one of the most important qualitiesthat are being ignored today. Excessively, narrow specialization reduces the likelihood ofmaking creative contributions that will enrich the culture.Most of us deep down believe that a person who is creative, will prevail regardless of theenvironment. But this is not really true. Circumstances do matter. Favourable convergencesin time and place open up a brief window of opportunity for the person who, happens to be inthe right place at the right time.The author lists major elements in the social milieu that can encourage creativity: training,expectations, resources, recognition, hope, opportunity, and reward.A society that can match effectively opportunities for training with