A Chaos of Delight: A Response to Professor Hisham Ghassib

Abstract

Professor Ghassib is a (theoretical) physicist who is internationally acclaimed as a writer in scientific thinking, philosophy, and Arabic culture. His publications reflect an academic career of advocating for progress in science, and a long-term commitment to interpreting the development of scientific thinking through a Marxist lens. In this paper ('Where does creativity fit into a productivist industrial model of knowledge production?') Ghassib (2010) explores the epistemological ramifications of science becoming a major industry, which is generally called the knowledge industry. In particular, he proposes a 'productivist industrial model' of scientific practice and knowledge production, at the heart of which are placed the related processes of creativity and innovation. The model is 'productivist industrial' in the sense that the productive sites, the producers, the raw material, the means of knowledge, the methods of production and the uniqueness of the product can all be defined, detailed and located. However, it does differ from typical industrial processes in so far as the product is not pre-determined, for such is the nature of creativity and innovation.