Abstract

The principle of creativity, as inherited from Judaeo Christian creationist theology, has had a revolutionary impact upon the development of both the promise of knowledge and the promise of freedom within the West. In particular, the philosophical development of the principle of creativity has resulted in a far greater emphasis upon the place and role of the idea of construction as an essential ingredient in both the pursuit of knowledge and the expression of freedom. Focussing upon certain key figures and movements within the Western philosophical tradition, I hope to show how the principle of creativity, and the idea of construction associated with it, play an important role in gradually transforming both the promise of knowledge and the promise of freedom