The Creative Process in Science and Engineering

This chapter discusses the essential elements defining the creative thinking process within the scientific and engineering domains, in the light of the dynamic definition of creativity, envisaging the requirement of potential originality and effectiveness. In an attempt to out-line the creative process within the two domains, elements such as dynamism, social inter-action, time and space dependence, and the variables influencing the potential of the crea-tive process in the scientific and engineering realms are described. The contrast and co-existence of both creative achievement and inconclusiveness are presented, indicating that extensive exploration, multiple tries and errors, as well as difficulty or absence of recogni-tion are constitutive elements of the scientific and engineering creative process. These concepts are mapped onto the classic framework of person, process, product and press, to achieve a fresh and complete view on the creative process in science and engineering, which are shown to be connected through an epistemological circle with impact both on knowledge and on the real-world.