"The Imagination Game: An Archaeologist Reflects on the Origins and Importance of Creativity"

In this presentation, I argue that human creativity remained minimal and stagnant for most of our 2.5 million years of existence. It only exploded recently with the emergence of our propensity and appetite for producing art. Indeed, I contend that imagination as expressed in art is the capacity that most distinguishes us from other creatures and is the secret of our success as a species. These insights are apparent in the evolution of our stone tools, our history of artistic expression, and even the wiring of our brains, as evident in the latest cognitive imaging. Based on this reasoning, I conclude that in order to maximize and achieve our fullest potential we should invest as heavily in the arts and humanities as we do in STEM pursuits (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and that rather than segregating these lines of endeavor we should integrate them better.