Aha!

Building on his earlier work on desire, and especially the relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind, this fascinating study sheds light on moments of insight in religion, morality, science, mathematics and the arts. It addresses the questions of what it is like to have an aha moment, what process or activity precedes such a moment, what brain processes are involved, how a person responds to the experience, how the world responds and how the person deals with this response. Each section covers a variety of aha moments, examines their psychology and neuroscience and finally explores the world's resistance to new ideas and how this may be overcome. There are many intriguing examples in the different domains, citing Joseph Smith, Gandhi, Thomas Clarkson, Einstein, Alfred Russel Wallace, Lynn Margulis and many others. In the case of morality, the author draws a distinction between people driven by their moral sense as compared with moral reasoning. He illustrates our lack of moral consistency with reference to vegetarianism, and highlights the resistance we feel towards moral reformers trying to change our views. We are also motivated, probably more than we admit, by the need for approval and security.

In the case of science and mathematics, the unconscious mind needs to be primed by the conscious mind researching the question and dwelling on the issue. There are parallels here between science and mathematics, with the four-stage process of preparation, incubation, illumination and verification. Often, a new finding that challenges the existing paradigms may require real courage to publish, but equally, failing to publish may involve handing the priority to someone else. Readers will remember that Darwin was prompted by a letter from Wallace to formulate and publish his own views. In many cases, pioneers have to deal with rejection and ridicule: one example is the reaction of Eddington to a paper by Chandrasekhar on black holes. Artists need to be able to manage their muse and also defend their new offerings that the public may reject by asking - often justifiably - if it really is art? Within the wider context of the evolution of the brain, the author speculates that improved nutrition was an important factor in enhancing brain development and therefore our capacity to innovate. His philosophical position made him interpret visions in near death experiences as a manifestation of the reptilian brain, with which many readers will disagree. He also could have cited the work of Arthur Koestler on the act of creation and, in the moral sense, the revelation of the principle of reverence for life to Albert Schweitzer on the Ogowe River. However, the book is a rich and informative resource.