Ep. 557: To Invent is Divine – A Discussion of Creativity and Property Rights

If you have studied what it means to have a Christian worldview or – for that matter – you have just studied the Bible, you know that it all begins with the creation story. “In the beginning, God created.”

And if we are made in God’s image, that means we are creative, too, and a part of our maturity in Christ is to more fully live into that mandate to be creators. And I don’t just mean what some call “creative” professions, such as music, literature, and other arts. I mean woodworkers, homemakers, entrepreneurs, engineers, and plumbers.

We are hearing more talk about creativity in recent years. Sometimes it takes the form of organizations committed to Christians and the arts. The Rabbit Room, co-founded by Andrew Peterson is an example. The International Arts Movement, founded by Makoto Fujimura is another. Andy Crouch’s work with Praxis also comes to mind.

But I have never heard anyone approach this topic in quite the way my guest today, Jim Edwards, has. His book “To Invent is Divine” examines human creativity as it relates to property rights – all within the framework of a Judeo-Christian principles of stewardship and ownership. He looks at America’s patent system and how laws protecting intellectual property have encouraged creativity. He is also concerned, however, that those laws are eroding and the principles of intellectual property protection are weakening in an era of artificial intelligence.

Jim Edwards has a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. He has had a long career in public policy and intellectual property consulting. He was a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute, and in 2017 was honored with the Eagle Award from the Eagle Forum’s Education and Legal Defense Fund.

I had this conversation with Jim via zoom.

The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.