In light of increased attention to the relation between science and intellectual development in the Arab world with recent studies addressing Darwin and Freud, for instance, this paper examines the contribution of Iraqi psychologist and intellectual Nuri Jafar (1914-1991) to theories of creativity in art including as study of originality in Al-Mutanabbi's poetry. Jafar’s theory, which continues to be relevant in the field of neuropsychology till this day, proposes that creativity results from neurophysiological processes that depend on social and biological conditions rather than metaphysical or mystical experiences. From the 1920s through the 1970s, the field of psychology in Iraq was dominated by psychoanalysis, which explained human behavior and creativity in art based on introspective models. Having obtained his PhD from the USA in 1949 and having lived and interacted with Soviet scientists in the 1960s , Jafar brought to the Iraqi intellectual scene a new perspective based on the conditioning theory of Pavlov. He also communicated with American philosopher John Dewey (1859-1952) and examined the relation between language and mind. He analyzed the role of education in enhancing creativity and critiqued the failure of the teaching models followed in Iraq at the time. Jafar believed that every child should be taught how to use his imagination to be creative and that creativity is not limited to a small group of gifted people. Jaafar’s contributions have impacted several generations of Iraqi intellectuals such as Dr. Najah Hadi Kubba, Mr.Yasser Jassim Kasim, Dr.Amer Salih) in the way they understand behavior and creativity. Examining his contribution allows us to consider the link between scientific development, artistic production, and education in Iraq from the 1950s onward. It also enables scholars to understand USA-USSR scientific and intellectual influences in Iraq, which in turn informs cold war studies in the Arab intellectual context. 1. Human nature according to Pavlovian physiology, Dar AlZahra press, Baghadad,1971 2. Creativity and brain mechanisms (in English), Baghdad, Al-Zahra press, 1976 3. Originality in the poetry of Al Mutanabbi: It’s brain origin and social roots according to Pavlovian theory.(in Arabic). Baghdad, 1976