Many are fascinated by the phenomenon of genius and search for an
understanding of its nature. Modern research is not especially helpful
in elucidating the inner process or its relation to ordinary thought.
The present work comes from clinical studies of focal brain injuries
that dissect unconscious cognition to reveal sub-surface lines of
processing. The outcome is a process (microgenetic) theory of the mental
state that differs markedly from mainstream (cognitive) psychology, but
with the potential to clarify many features of thought and imagery,
normal and exceptional. Creativity is not an isolated problem but
touches many central issues in philosophical psychology.