Correspondence with...

B

elow, you can read a short correspondence with Robert Sternberg, a well-known American psychologist, who found himself in a situation, which was not created by him and he kindly permitted to put this correspondence on my web site so as to make the issue clear. Start to read it from below if you are interested in the matter.   

 Subject:

            Re: Permission

       Date:

            Thu, 25 May 2006 09:09:22 -0400 (EDT)

      From:

            Robert Sternberg < This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;

        To:

            Magyari-Beck István < This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;

 References:

            1 , 2 , 3

I looked this up on Google. The reference to which you refer is in the Wikipedia. The Wikipedia is a reference work to which anyone can contribute, regardless of credentials.  There has been a study of it in this country, and it contains many errors, such as this one. Also, anyone can modify any entry. All you have to do is to go into the entry and change it.  It will then be corrected. Under the circumstances, you should feel free to post my letter on your website. Bob Sternberg On Thu, 25 May 2006, Magyari-Beck István wrote:

  Dear Professor,

  The reason of my request you can find on the Internet under the title Creatology  by Google. Why, why not, you can find your name as the  inventor of the term and conception of Creatology.

Yours

  Istvan Magyari-Beck

  Robert Sternberg wrote:

   Permission is denied.  I do not understand what you are trying to accomplish.  As I never claimed credit for creatology, there is no need for a statement saying as much.  You might as well have a statement from everyone in the  field that they, too, did not invent the term.  I cannot see why you need a private letter from me on your website.  You never offered any evidence  that I claimed credit for this construct, and there is none.  If you have evidence, bring it forward.  If not, the correspondence is done. As far as I  know, you invented the whole issue, for reasons I cannot imagine.

   Bob Sternberg

 

   On Thu, 25 May 2006, Magyari-Beck István wrote:

 

    Dear Professor Robert Sternberg,

   

    I kindly ask for your permission to put these letters below on my new  web site, now under the process of creation. It seems to me that none of  these letters have any strictly private character, which would prevent  them from being made public as  important parts of the history of  science. Moreover, they makes your image as a serious scientist even  better.

    Truly yours

   

    Istvan Magyari-Beck

   

   

    Subject:

               Re: Creatology 2

          Date:

               Fri, 19 May 2006 11:27:27 -0400

         From:

               Robert Sternberg < This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;

           To:

               Istvan Magyari-Beck < This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;

           CC:

               This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    References:

               1

   

    I have not claimed to have "invented the concept of Creatology." I  never heard of "Creatology" until you brought it up. I don't know what  creatology is.  I have never used the term in my writings.  Therefore,  please do not think for a moment that I believe I deserve any credit  for this idea, and I have no idea why you think I do.

Best, bob

   

    Quoting Istvan Magyari-Beck < This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;:

   

     Dear Dr. Sternberg,

    

     Thank you for your recent reply to my earlier email from May 9th. I am  not interested in contacting the APA, but I am interested in  correcting  an oversight on your part. You make the claim that you invented the concept of Creatology. Although I am glad that you certainly endorse  this concept, and acknowledge that you have any right to use the term. Creatology and creatology matrix and contribute to the development of these ideas, I feel compelled to call on you to at least recognize the  fact that I have promoted and published on this concept since the late 1970's. The first publication, following an international conference  in  1977, was: Istvan Magyari-Beck "About the necessity of complex  creatology" In: Janos Farkas (Ed.) Sociology of Science and Research"  Akadémiai Kiadó (Academic Publisher), Budapest, 1979. pp. 175-182. Further, a number of scholars in the community of creativity research  know of my work. For example, I visited the Center for Studies in  Creativity at Buffalo State College and had the opportunity to work  with  Dr. Scott Isaksen and other faculty there. In addition, I attended and  presented Creatology and creatology matrix during the 1990  International  Conference on Creativity Research and numerous other follow up  colloquia  and symposia. The results of many of these presentations were  published  in:  Isaksen, S. G., Murdock, M. C., Firestien, R. L., and Treffinger, D.  J.  (Eds.), (1993) Understanding and recognizing creativity: Emergence of  a  discipline. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.  Ma concern is that the term is already in use with a  particular meaning  ascribed to it. I urge you to become familiar with at least these two  published works and make an appropriate acknowledgement on your web site.

    

     I look forward to hearing from you.

    

     Sincerely

    

     Dr. Istvan Magyari-Beck

     Full Professor of Psychology at Corvinus University, Budapest.  Osborn Professor at the Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo  State College.

    

   --

 

   Robert J. Sternberg

   Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences

   Tufts University

   Ballou Hall, 3rd Floor

   Medford, MA 02155

 

   Phone: 617-627-3864

   Fax:   617-627-3703

 

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