Can computers be creative? Where do new ideas come from? Is learning necessary for thought? Stefan Leijnen is interested in these questions. In order to gain insight into these challenging issues and their consequences, he builds simulations of complex neural networks and multi-agent societies. Often inspired by biological principles and grounded in a philosophical framework provided by pragmatism, these systems shed light into the evolutionary dynamics of neural pathway formation, the logic of firing patterns or the emergence of group behavior. Currently, Stefan is developing a stochastic neural network model in harmony with psychological models of creativity, in order to further uncover the neural roots of the creative process and its relation to human learning.