In the Mind's Eye

In this updated edition to his fascinating exploration of the "ironies of creativity," Thomas West furthers his ground-breaking research on how some innovations in computer visualization are making work and education more favorable to visual thinkers.

In the Mind's Eye exposes many popular myths about conventional intelligence by examining the role of visual-spatial strengths and verbal weaknesses in the lives of eleven gifted individuals, including Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, and others.

West cites research in neuroscience that shows a link between visual talents and verbal difficulties, and he believes that new developments in computer technology herald a significant shift toward the increased use of visual approaches throughout the economy. These changes may be as revolutionary as the technology of the book, which translated ideas into written words. The use of visualization and virtual reality computer displays has already begun to move out of the world of science into that business, representing marketing trends through moving pictures rather than tiresome charts and tables of numbers.

According to West, creative visual thinkers (many of whom have had difficulty with verbal skills), aided by computers, will be at the forefront of innovation in a dramatically changing society.