I've been investigating this question

我一直在探討這個問題

of where good ideas come from.

好的想法是如何形成的

It's a kind of problem, I think,

我認為這是一種問題

all of us are intrinsically interested in.

每一個人在本質上會感興趣的

We want to be more creative.

我們想更有創造性

We want to come up with better ideas.

我們要想出更好的主意

We want our organisations to be more innovative.

我們要我們的組織更創新

I've looked at this problem from an environmental perspective.

我從一種環境的角度來看這個問題

What are the spaces that have historically lead to unusual rates of creativity and innovation?

過去是什麼環境造成創意具有異常的速率？

And what I've found, in all this systems, there are these recurring patterns, that you see

我發現，你能發現在這個系統裏具有重複模式

again and again,

一再地不斷重複

that are crucial to creating environments that are unusually innovative.

並且是形成不尋常創新環境的關鍵因素

One pattern, I call the "slow hunch".

其中一個模式，我稱為"slow hunch" (直釋"慢直覺")

That breakthrough ideas almost never come in a moment of great insight.

由於突破性的創新幾乎不會從一個偉大想法瞬間產生

In a sudden stroke of inspiration.

抑或是一個突發的靈感中

Most important ideas take a long time to evolve

所有重要的想法需要很長一段時間進化

and they spend a long time dormant,

它們在長時間下孕育

in the background.

在不為人知的情況

It isn't until the ideas have two or three years,

這些想法須要兩到三年

sometimes ten or twenty years, to mature

有時候甚至到十至二十年，才能成熟

that it suddenly becomes acessible to you,

它會突然變的在某些程度上對你是可行的

and useful to you, in a certain way.

亦是有用的

And this is, partially, because good ideas

而這是由於，一部份上因為好想法

come from the collision between smaller hunches,

從更小的靈感之間衝擊而成的

so that they form something bigger than themselves.

所以它們形成一個比自己更巨大的東西

So you see a lot, in the history of innovation,

你不難發現，從歷史上的創新案例中

cases of someone who has half of an idea.

某些人只有一半的想法

There's a great story about the invention

有一個關於創新的偉大故事

of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee.

發明World Wide Web(全球資訊網)的Tim Berners-Lee(提姆.伯納.李)

This is a project that Berners-Lee worked on for ten years.

這其實是Berners-Lee做了十年的計畫

But when he started, he didn't have a full vision of this new medium he was going to invent.

當他開始計畫時，他對於這個新興媒介的發明並沒有一個全景的圖畫

He started working on one project, as a side-project to help him organize his own data.

他一開始工作，只是他在附屬計畫中協助他整理他的資料

He scrapped that after a couple of years,

過了幾年後他把計畫取消

and he started working on another thing.

並且開始做別的計畫

And only after about ten years to the full vision of the web come into being

而只有在約十年後他對於網路的全景才應運而生

That is, more often that not,

更多的時候，這才是

how ideas happen.

想法誕生的過程

They need time to incubate.

它們需要時間醞釀

And they spend a lot of time in this 'partial hunch' form.

它們必須花時間在"部分靈感"的形式上

The other thing that's important,

另外一件重要的事情

when you think about ideas this way,

當你用這個方法來看待想法時

is that when ideas take form in this 'hunch' state,

想法在"靈感"的階段呈現時

they need to collide with other hunches.

他們需要和別的靈感進行衝擊

Often times, the thing that turns a hunch in a real breakthrough is another hunch

很多時候靈感逐漸突破成為想法時，是別的靈感

that's lurking in someboby else's mind.

隱藏在別人的想法中

And you have to figure out a way to create systems

所以你需要知道如何想出一個系統架構

that allow those hunches to come together and turn into something bigger

足以能讓這些靈感進行磨合並且形成比自己還要

than the sum of their parts.

更大的東西

That's why, for instance, the Coffee House in the age of the Enlightenment

這就是為什麼，舉例說，在啟蒙時期的咖啡屋

Or the Parisian Salons of Modernism, were such engines of creativity.

或是現代主義時期的沙龍，是創新想法的起源

Because they created a space where ideas could mingle

因為他們創造一個想法互相交融的空間

and swap

或是交換

and create new forms.

和創造新的形式

When you look at the problem of innovation from this perspective,

當你從這個角度來看待創新的問題時

it sheds a lot of important light on a debate we've been having recently

它顯明了我們最近一直在爭論的議題

about what the Internet is doing to our brains.

關於網際網路如何影響我們的想法

Are we getting overwhelmed with an always connected, multi-tasking lifestyle?

我們是否被多面相、多連接的生活方式給掩沒了呢？

And is this gonna lead to less sophisticated thoughts

這將會把我們指引到更淺薄的想法

as we move away from the slower, deeper, contemplative

當我們正遠離較慢、較深、較沉思的

state of reading, for instance?

舉例來說，閱讀狀態

Obviously, I'm a big fan of reading!

我顯然是閱讀的忠誠粉絲

But I think it's important to remember that

但是我覺得我們應該要知道

the great driver of scientific innovation -- and technological innovation-- has been the

驅使科學以及科技的創新是建立在

historic increase of connectivity.

交互連接的增加

And our ability to reach out and exchange ideas with other people.

而我們向外和其他人交換意見和想法的能力

And to borrow other people's hunches

以及借取別人的靈感

and combine them with our hunches

然後和自己的融合

and turn them into something new.

最後形成一個全然一新的想法

That really has, I think, been --more than anything else-- the primary engine

我覺得這實在是，最根本的原動力

of creativity and innovation over the last 600 or 700 years.

對於過去六百或七百年的創意和創新

And so, yes, it's true we're more distracted.

所以，沒有錯，我們更被干擾是一個事實

But what has happened, that is really miraculous and marvelous, over the last fifteen years

但是事實上，在過去十五年發生了非常奇蹟而偉大的事情

is that we have so many ways to connect.

就是我們有很多種連接的方式

And so many new ways to reach out and find other people

也有很多種方法向外找到其他人

who have that missing piece that will complete the idea we're working on.

具有那塊遺失的拼圖─來幫助我們完成我們的想法

Or to stumble serendipitously across some amazing

或是在偶然下發現了驚人的

new piece of information that we can use to build

一塊新資料以使我們足以建造

and improve our own ideas.

並且改良我們的想法

That's the real lesson.

這給我們上了實在的一堂課

of where good ideas come from:

好想法是從哪裡來的：

That chance favours the connected mind!

這樣的機會有利於連接我們的思維！