• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.144-160
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• 2013

This study is a proposal, which is the trial to explicate, in neurology, on how critical thinking as a creative method of sciences functions. The creative methods of sciences, even at present, are mostly the hypothetical insistences concerning with the logical processes of researches suggested from the philosophers of science; Popper, Kuhn, Hempel, or Lakatos. These insistences do excavate what process or approach can be scoped out of scientists' creativity. I call the tendency or approach of the researches, "Process Approach of Creativity (PAC)". From my view point, any PAC trial does not concern with how creative theories can actually be invented. On the other hand, this study is focused on the philosophical thinking abilities of scientists who invented new great theories. They mostly had some experiences to study philosophy while studying their science fields, thus had critical thinking abilities on their studies. From my point of view, critical thinking in philosophy raised questions as to their fundamental and basic (old) concepts and principles, and thus gave them new creative theories. I will try to explain this from the point of neurophilosophy. From the perspectives coming from "the state space theory of representation" of Paul & Patricia Churchland, the pioneers of neurophilosphy, the "creative theories" are the networks of topographic maps giving new comprehensive explanations and predictions. From these perspectives, I presuppose that the attitude of critical questioning revises the old networks of maps with back-propagation or feedback, and thus, is the generative power of searching new networks of maps. From the presupposition, I can say, it is important that scientists reflect on the basic premises in their academic branches for issuing out extraordinary creativity. The critical attitude of philosophy can make scientists construct the maps of new conceptual scheme by shaking the maps of the old basic premises. From this context, I am able to propose "Critical Thinking Approach of Creativity (CTAC)".