Synopses & Reviews
A revelatory synthesis of cultural history and social psychology that shows how one-to-one collaboration drives creative success.
Weaving the lives of scores of creative duos — from John Lennon and Paul McCartney to Marie and Pierre Curie to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak — Joshua Wolf Shenk identifies the core qualities of that dizzying experience we call "chemistry." Revealing the six essential stages through which creative intimacy unfolds, Shenk draws on new scientific research and builds an argument for the social foundations of creativity — and the pair as its primary embodiment. Along the way, he reveals how pairs begin to talk, think, and even look like each other; how the most successful ones thrive on conflict; and why some pairs flame out while others endure.
When it comes to shaping the culture, Shenk argues, two is the magic number, not just because of the dyads behind everything from South Park to the American Civil Rights movement to Starry Night, but because of the nature of creative thinking. Even when we're alone, we are in a sense "collaborating" with a voice inside our head. At once intuitive and surprising, Powers of Two will change the way we think about innovation.
Review
“Fascinating…[a] provocative thesis on the genesis of creative innovation.” Kirkus
Review
"This is a book about magic; about the Beatles; about the chemistry between people; about neuroscience; and about the buddy system; it examines love and hate, harmony and dissonance, and everything in between. The result is wise, funny, surprising, and completely engrossing." Susan Orlean
Review
"Powers of Two is filled with keen insights into the human condition and terrific examples of creativity at work. This is an inspiring book that also happens to be a great read." Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive
Synopsis
A rigorous and inspiring survey of the workings of creative pairings that shows us how great duos work together and how we can adapt their techniques in our own work and lives.
About the Author
Joshua Wolf Shenk is a curator, essayist, and the author of Lincoln's Melancholy, a New York Times Notable Book. A contributor to The Atlantic, Harper's, The New Yorker, and other publications, he directs the Arts in Mind series on creativity and serves on the general council of The Moth. He lives in Los Angeles.
Table of Contents
Prelude xiiiIntroduction: 1 + 1 = Infinity xv
Part I. Meeting
1. “You Remind Me of Charlie Munger”
Matchups and Magnet Places
3
2. Identical Twins from the Ends of the Earth
The Convergence of Homophily and Heterophily
11
3. “Like Two Young Bear Clubs”
The Varieties of Electric Experience
19
Part II. Confluence
4. Presence → Confidence → Trust
The Stages of Confluence
29
5. The Turn of Faith
The Final Stage
35
6. “Everybody Just Get the Fuck Out”
The Psychology of We
40
7. “No Power in Heaven, Hell or Earth”
Creative Marriage
52
Part III. dialectics
8. In the Spotlight (in the Shadows)
The Star and the Director
67
9. Jokestein and Structureberg
The Liquid and the Container
78
10. Inspiration and Perspiration
The Dreamer and the Doer
87
11. Turn-Taking
Generators and Resonators
92
12. “Everythings the Opposite”
The Psychology of Dialectics
96
13. The “Other” of Our Psyche
The Dialogue of Creative Thinking
108
Part IV. Distance
14. Creative Monks and Siamese Twins
The Extremes in Distance
123
15. “Somehow We Also Kept Surprising Each Other”
The Varieties of Distance
130
16. “Desire for That Which Is Missing”
The Erotics of Distance
138
Part V. The Infinite Game
17. My Most Intimate Enemy
Creative Foils
153
18. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo
Creative Pairs and Coopetition
163
19. “We All Want the Hand”
Power Clarity and Power Fluidity
173
20. “I Love to Scrap With Orv”
Conflict
181
21. Varieties of Alphas and Betas
The Hitchcock Paradox
188
22. “What About McCartney-Lennon?”
The Dance of Power
194
Part VI. Interruption
23. “Listen, This Is Too Crazy . . .”
Stumbles
211
24. The Paradox of Success
Wedges
216
25. Failure to Repair
Why Did Lennon-McCartney Split?
220
26. The Never Endings
Did Lennon-McCartney Ever Splt
227
Epilogue: Barton Fink at the Standard Hotel 241
Selected Sources 252
Acknowledgments 265
Notes 268
Index 329