Off the Wall: Critiquing a Controversial New Study of Creativity and Language

The familiar debate over language and thought rears its head again with the publication of William C. Hannas’s controversial book, “The Writing on the Wall: How Asian Orthography Curbs Creativity” (University of Pennsylvania Press).  In brief, Hannas contends that the writing systems of China, Japan, and Korea are inherently deterrent to abstract construction and those … Read more