Where Good Ideas Come From

Good ideas are like networks; they thrive where connections form and where collaboration meets serendipity.

1. Ideas Form Within the “Adjacent Possible”

Ideas don’t appear out of thin air—they emerge step by step within what’s achievable at the moment. Steven Johnson introduces the concept of the "adjacent possible," describing the ever-expanding range of opportunities accessible when new combinations of existing parts and knowledge are formed.

For example, life on Earth couldn’t spring directly from a simple soup of molecules to complex organisms; it evolved incrementally. Each step, from atoms to cells and creatures, opened new pathways toward higher forms of life. The adjacent possible explains this measured progression.

Similarly, technological innovation fits into this concept. eBay couldn’t exist in the 1950s because the necessary components—personal computers, the internet, and online payment systems—didn’t exist. Innovations must first build upon past inventions, giving rise to possibilities that weren’t attainable before.

Examples

• YouTube wouldn’t have worked in the 1990s without high-speed internet or video codecs.
• Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestley’s simultaneous discovery of oxygen relied on the prior understanding of air’s gaseous nature.
• Networking platforms like Facebook only developed after the groundwork of the World Wide Web had been laid.

2. Great Ideas Grow Slowly, Not Suddenly

Breakthroughs are rarely bright flashes of inspiration; they often develop as "slow hunches." An idea might linger incomplete for years, gradually gaining clarity through time, collaboration, and connection to other ideas.

Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection is one famous example. While his epiphany seemed to occur during his reading of Malthus, Darwin's notebooks reveal he had already sketched out his ideas earlier. The so-called "eureka moment" was really the culmination of a slow maturation process.

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, also turned a childhood fascination with connected information into decades of experimentation before his breakthrough came together. His work at CERN gave him the environment to develop his hunch into the revolutionary project we know today.

Examples

• Darwin’s slow development of evolutionary theory through years of refining his ideas.
• Tim Berners-Lee’s experience fusing early hypertext and network projects into the World Wide Web.
• Writers who keep journals or scrapbooks of ideas, allowing them to evolve over time.

3. Platforms Springboard Creativity

Platforms—whether biological, technical, or social—are starting points for innovation. They provide the fertile ground upon which systems can grow and flourish, pushing boundaries.

For instance, ecological platforms like coral reefs and wetlands created by beavers foster entire ecosystems. These keystone species provide more than just survival—they enable whole connections of life forms to evolve. Similarly, technological platforms like GPS, originally developed for military purposes, have led to applications ranging from navigation to fitness trackers.

Platforms also build upon each other in layers, creating a stacking effect. For instance, Twitter emerged from the web, which itself was built on protocols like HTTP and HTML. Today, independent apps built on Twitter’s API reveal just how transformative platforms can be.

Examples

• GPS application growth, from military tracking to location-based apps.
• Beavers creating ecosystems that support animals like woodpeckers and songbirds.
• Twitter’s tech progression stimulating third-party tools like hashtag analytics.

4. Networks Foster Creativity

Ideas don’t flourish in isolation. They grow when people and concepts interact, just as cities foster innovation by serving as large human networks. Exposure to diverse, overlapping ideas allows discoveries to combine in unexpected ways.

Johnson compares innovation to carbon's role in life—it thrives due to its ability to create extensive connections. City environments consistently outperform rural areas in creative output because they enable high-density interactions. Similarly, the World Wide Web acts as today’s "super network," empowering the global diffusion of ideas.

Studies of molecular biology labs highlight how informal discussions—not solo scientific focus—often spur groundbreaking discoveries. This reflects the power of blending different perspectives in shared spaces.

Examples

• Molecular biologists develop new ideas during open group discussions, not just lab experiments.
• Cities house diverse populations, driving advancements through varied interactions.
• The internet’s global network allows anyone to share and expand ideas instantly.

5. Collaboration Beats Solitary Competition

While markets often reward individual innovation, many discoveries emerge through collaboration. Patents and restrictive practices may hinder this process, isolating ideas from additional development.

Historically, many groundbreaking inventions lacked markets or commercial motives. Consider pacemakers, penicillin, and general-purpose computers—none of these innovations became rich thanks to their creators. Instead, their value multiplied through collective knowledge-sharing networks rather than exclusive ownership.

Darwin noticed that, just as species evolve not only by competing but by collaborating across ecosystems, the same applies to humans. Open networks encourage the propagation and improvement of ideas.

Examples

• The unpaid labor of inventors like Tim Berners-Lee (creator of the World Wide Web).
• Close teamwork in scientific fields driving discoveries like the genome project.
• Open-source software collaborations exploding innovation in technology industries.

6. Chance Connections Spark Genius

Some of the best discoveries come from unexpected, random encounters. Scenarios where ordered systems meet chaos—what Johnson calls "liquid networks"—often inspire progress.

Dreams are an example of this concept in action. Chemist Friedrich Kekulé dreamed of a snake eating its tail, leading him to discover benzene’s structure. Liquid networks also describe workplace environments where chance conversations, like coffee breaks, lead to breakthroughs.

Even neural activity mirrors this balance between order and chaos. Studies show that "smarter" brains toggle efficiently between chaos (random firings) and organized phase states, providing fertile ground for connections.

Examples

• Kekulé’s dream about carbon rings creating benzene’s molecular discovery.
• Informal office "water cooler" chats sparking revolutionary ideas.
• Random strolls or breaks generating insights unrelated to planned work.

7. Shared Spaces Boost Creativity

Bringing diverse disciplines and individuals into "collision spaces" sparks new ideas. From Parisian cafés of the 1920s where Modernists mingled, to interdisciplinary research labs today, shared physical or intellectual spaces enhance innovation.

Practically, scientists and artists can introduce ideas across fields, pulling from broader sources of inspiration. This is how historical figures like Benjamin Franklin worked—engaging with multiple parallel projects that interacted in surprising ways. Philosophers such as John Locke utilized cross-referencing systems to track separate ideas and merge them later.

Organizations today adopt open office layouts and tech sharing to spark this kind of "cross-pollination" internally, stimulating growth.

Examples

• Parisian artistic collaborations driving the Modernist movement.
• Benjamin Franklin multitasking across communication, science, and politics.
• Open workspaces encouraging teamwork between unrelated departments.

8. Mistakes Advance Progress

Failure isn’t a dead end—it provides the necessary errors that challenge assumptions and spur new directions. In evolution, random genetic mutations introduce traits that may lead to species improvement over time.

Similarly, accidents often result in revolutionary breakthroughs. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin because mold accidentally contaminated his lab samples. Mistakes expose what’s missing or wrong, forcing alternative approaches.

Even creative prompts based on "errors" help teams exceed conventional thinking. When people encounter challenges, they start to explore less traditional, more inventive pathways.

Examples

• Mutations during DNA replication generating adaptive animal traits.
• Fleming finding penicillin via contaminated Petri dishes.
• Psychologists planting deliberate slide color errors to elicit creative people’s responses.

9. Repurposing the Old Drives Advancement

Using old resources, tools, or ideas in new ways generates progress. Evolution features a process called "exaptation," where traits change roles—like feathers designed for warmth enabling flight. In human history, Gutenberg reimagined a wine press into the first printing machine.

Discarded spaces, like run-down neighborhoods, also house innovation. Subcultures thrive away from corporate environments, brewing movements like punk rock. Resources, objects, and even disused places turn into engines of creativity.

Examples

• Tim Berners-Lee adapting scholarly tools into worldwide online connectivity.
• Nairobi shoemakers transforming car tires into durable sandals.
• Old warehouse districts reviving as cultural creative hubs.

Takeaways

1. Keep a system to capture and cross-pollinate your ideas, like maintaining a journal or commonplace book.
2. Build or join networks that enable diverse collaboration to keep ideas fresh.
3. Embrace errors and unexpected outcomes—they might hold your next breakthrough.