Darwin as Straw Man: Dasgupta's (2004) Evaluation of Creativity as a Darwinian Process

Abstract

Dasgupta (2004) challenged Darwinian theories of creativity by scrutinizing 3 historic episodes drawn from the careers of James Watt, Jadadis Chandra Bose, and Pablo Picasso. However, in this article I present counterarguments based on a critical consideration of scholarship, theory, logic, and data. By all 4 standards, the anti-Darwinian argument is considerably undermined. In particular, (a) Dasgupta's presentation did not reflect the most recent Darwinian scholarship, and therefore, (b) the theory evaluated is one not advocated by any modern proponent. Moreover, the supposed test (c) requires the application of an inappropriate falsifiability criterion, and (d) depends on a questionable interpretation of data—data that may not even be the most germane to the theory's empirical evaluation. I end by discussing the broader problems faced by anyone advocating Darwinist theories of creativity.