“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” — Linus Pauling (2-time Nobel Prize Winner)
George Newman, a professor at the University of Toronto, argues that “creativity” is over estimated in the generation of new ideas. Newman’s research shows that Great Ideas are more likely to come from people who search for Great Ideas while studying failed experiments. He quotes the legendary story of Thomas Edison failing a hundred times before he succeeded with his light bulb.
Newman is also a big believer in persistence. People who specialize and learn more and more about their topic are more likely to discover Great Ideas. The process of searching for Great Ideas is more like archeology than being struck by lightning.
In reading How Great Ideas Happen (2026), I was impressed with the many stories Newman provides of people passionate about finding a Great Idea in medicine, education, and technology. If you’re interested in how Great Ideas are found, this is the book to answer your questions. The Great Idea I’m hoping someone will find is how to prevent cancer. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Introduction: Dig for Fire –1
- PART 1: SURVEYING WHERE TO SEARCH FOR IDEAS
- 1. Burn the Cabin Down — 13
- 2. Originality Ostriches — 35
- 3. Bottoms Up! — 53
- PART 2: GRIDDIGNS: ORGANIZING YOU SEARCH
- 4. The Guiding Question — 77
- 5. Think Inside the Box — 95
- 6. Transplanting — 115
- PART 3: DIGGING: UNEARTING PROMISING IDEAS
- 7. More Is More — 137
- 8. Search Far and Wide — 155
- 9. The Spark — 171
- PART 4: SIFTINGS: CHOOSING WHICH IDEAS TO PURSUE
- 10. Create by Subtracting — 193
- 11. How Ideas Feel — 211
- 12. The Learning Curve — 223
Conclusion: Getting Unstuck — 243
Appendix: Deeper Questions About Creativity — 249
Acknowledgements — 265
Notes — 267
Index — 279
My great idea is finding how to make a society work selflessly and without prejudice. Also, because I like both chocolate ice cream and fried clams, can anyone come up with a decent chocolate clam ice cream?
Jerry, I love chocolate ice cream, too! And, I love clams with spicy dipping sauce, too. But, perhaps the twain may not meet…
Oh, dont rain on Jerry’s parade (and/or future residence on porcelain), George!
And, how to stop cancers, if indeed the triggers differ from those afflicting different organs.
Todd, I’m excited about the new drug that can help victims of pancreatic cancer!
Yuck on chocolate clam ice cream (sorry, Jerry).
No, this doesn’t interest me either.
Jeff, Patrick and his GOOGLE crew participate in a lot of Idea conferences.
I assume (perhaps rashly) that Edison settled on the filament idea early on…and needed to find the right material for that. Revisiting old ideas…and taking new approaches.
Todd, Edison had the Right Idea but needed to try a 100 different substances to find the one that worked best in a light bulb.
Odd…somehow, your posts are out of sync with Blogspot catching your blogroll, George.
Todd, I have enough trouble with WORDPRESS let alone Blogspot!
Talk about a useless book that never should have been published! This is the very definition of garbage!
Bob, where is your Entrepreneurial Spirit?