A New Idea?
Every once in awhile, I experience a brainstorm* and feel as though I have developed a totally new, original idea - something that no one else (living or dead) has ever thought of. Have you ever felt this way?
Upon reflection, I have concluded that doing this (developing a completely novel, new, original idea) is highly improbable, indeed is likely impossible. Isn’t it more probable that every idea we conceive has been thought of by some other person at some earlier time? If you disagree, please let me know and explain why. If you agree, then are you as deflated and disheartened by this realization as I am?
*brainstorm: yes, this is an appropriate use of the noun form of the word, which has come to mean “a sudden impulse or idea” (though it originally meant “a severe mental disturbance,” back in 1890-1895 when it was coined); its verb form connotes subjecting a problem to the act of collective brainstorming.
