"The creative act is not pure. History evidences it. Sociology extracts it." ???

Question

What is meant by the " creative act " ???

Answer 1

Basically, it means that original ideas or original behavior is a product of the environment.  In other words, creative ideas, such as inventions, are not brilliant ideas that suddenly appeared in someone's mind, but were formed from past events and experiences that were applied to contemporary issues and needs.

For example, the light bulb would never have been invented had it not been for a variety of historical events and discoveries that provided the materials and methods to create it, and had it not been for the recent social trends towards electrical use and the need for a light source that did not rely on some sort of flammable substance, Edison would never have done it.