White paper on creativity - ebla center

Chapter 1Social qualitySocial quality may be defined as theextent to which people can participatein social, economic and cultural life andin the development of theircommunities in conditions, whichimprove well-being and individualpotential. At the same time socialquality may be defined as that whichenables individuals to pursue variablecombinations of actions bothelementary (access culture and itsvarious forms and the cultural heritage,access the fundamental goods ofcitizenship, enjoy good health andenhance human capital) and complex(participate in community life andincrease capacity to realise life aims)(Torino Internazionale, 2005).Culture is a major component in socialquality. Primarily, because its dailyproduction and consumption favoursthe development of the social fabric interms of tighter community cohesion,better-quality human relations, feelingsof trust, willingness to co-operate, and astronger sense of identity. All of thismodifies the restraints andopportunities of daily life, making theformer less stringent and the latterbetter and more numerous.Creativity as a means and not anendCreativity is an essential input in theproduction of culture. Yet creativity isnot an end in itself. If it was an end initself, it would simply be acceptable alsoas in-built in activities expressing valueswhich are not necessarily sharedsocially. For example, creativitygenerates great novels, but alsohundreds of weekly hours of junktelevision; the Mafia and organisedcrime express forms of sociablydeplorable organised creativity.If creativity is not an end, as a means itmust be interpreted and filtered by theculture of the community in question.Seen in this way, creativity is the way ofpursuing socially shared objectivesendowed with value, also in the culturaland technological fields.Italy with its qualities and faults isarguably the country best placed toassess the production of new goods,creativity and innovations, also of atechnological nature, through the filterof its culture, ethics, art and history. Asin the case of “naked technology”,originality or the abstract beauty ofcreativity are not enough.To become social quality, creativitymust pass the test of culture and art.The advent of atomic energy was anincredible leap forward for humancreativity, scientific research andinnovation, but to become social qualityit must pass the test to guaranteehuman life is protected; and the ethicalends, which the atomic means cantranscend, must be safeguarded throughthe refusal to accept destruction or abalance of terror.Creativity, tempered by ethical, culturaland artistic values is, thus, anextraordinary means for producing newculture. Mass production anddistribution of the new goods andservices of the cultural industries andthe continual search for andaccumulation of material culture goodsWHITE PAPER ON CREATIVITY 23