On Intuition

Intuition: facility of knowing without use of rational processes; immediate cognition: sharp insight.

Fruit of activity that goes on in brain at subconscious level; brain files information, and cross files according to similarities and differences; it also discards information. Consciousness orders up information from storage in the memory, and makes mistakes, which are subject to correction by the consciousness. Most mistakes are useless, but sometimes profitable, since the connectedness of filed material leads the consciousness into new thought patterns that reveal much more connectedness than was initially apparent. Then, reasoning by analogy sets in to create new ideas which become options for action. Brain function of filing and discarding goes on during sleep, or during relatively dormant periods for the brain. Retrieval is constantly going on, and mistakes in retrieval are constantly being made and corrected. Sometimes the mistakes represent novel combinations of concepts which provide answers to questions that have gone on unanswered, the connection being noticed during the remembering process.

So creativity has an element of initial mistakenness which is not discarded automatically, but which becomes useful. All people possess the potential for creativity, but few utilize it because their tolerance for examining the partially correct is very low. Their minds have been disciplined and made efficient in recognizing and putting together only the most correct products of memory. They are too rational to entertain the extraordinary - mistakes or partial mistakes threaten them - are a threat to their schedule and programs.

The brain is a computer, capable of dealing in a variety of languages. The senses are the keyboard of the computer upon which experiences play. The varieties of software are the disciplines to which the brain is subjected. The mind's connections to the eye, ear, nose, taste, and feel are the monitors of the brain's computer, and the flow of consciousness is the read-out of the computer. The mind is the memory of past experience as well as the place where current experiences play on past experiences. Learning is the building of programs that handle memory, storage and retrieval - extrapolating, interpolating, and reasoning by analogy. Because of limitations of time and space, modern man depends largely on programs involving the mind's eye and the mind's ear. People with good memories usually recall via visualization of symbols-numbers, letters, or pictures. Eagles and hawks depend on the eye, certain dogs, on smell, many insects, on smell, and the like. Touch plays a big role in body language.

How does intuition play a role? Dreams are composed of flows of subconsciousness essentially ungoverned (undisciplined) by rational consciousness. Dream frames jump around that are very slightly connected to one another, with only varying amounts of continuity. However, most of the frames have some small connections to the past frame, and frequently to some recent experience. Dreams, both daydreaming and during sleep, combine the rational and irrational in the same way that intuition operates. A series of sleep images that are somewhat connected are semi-stored in short-term memory. They follow one another because of cross filings in the memory - a file is opened containing a family of more or less connected phenomena - sometimes the connections are not rational, but have emotional content - two experiences have elicited similar emotional reactions, and are therefore in the same folder in the memory. Recall of one causes recall of the other. The two appear, and the unwanted one is discarded normally. But occasionally, it is recognized as more useful or meaningful than the one "called to mind." Thus, in a sense intuition is the stuff of which dreams are made.

An intuitive person is one who examines all phenomena for its utility, including what initially looks like false leads.

My research ideas and their implementation are constantly involving asking questions that have not been asked before in organic chemistry - now develop idea of inside and outside, finally to spheres - to hosts - to guests. Why do? Because the containers in physiological chemistry are made of organic compounds. Why not make molecular containers of all types, some closed surface.

How to cultivate intuition. Proper balance of mental discipline and use of fantasy - balance of knowing and unknowingness. Fantasy involves illusions, the unreal, the non-understood. Reason by analogy, in some cases by very poor analogy. Rules for cultivating intuition: 1) Don't throw away seeming illusions without multiple examination for utility. 2) Never label people or ideas stupid - one never knows. 3) Put questions to the mind, list free flow of thoughts that are stimulated, and look for connectedness. 4) Put questions to the mind in different moods, and particularly at night before bed, and on successive nights. 5) Put questions to others? 6) Encourage curiosity - never label it as idle. 7) Encourage persistence in pursuing answers - stick to a few important questions over time, posing them over and over again. 8) When you get up in the morning, do not think of anything before you attack the questions. 9) Screen all your reading of scientific literature and lectures for clues as to how to get a start on answering questions. Analyze all stimulation for utility, discarding useless material to keep mind as clear and thinking as simple as possible. 10) Argue with knowledgeable people about questions to elicit stimulation as to answers. Explain to others verbally or in writing how far you have come in thinking about questions and their answers. 11) Reexamine periodically your progress to look for flaws or short cuts. 12) Reason by analogy wherever possible to recognize relatedness. Use your coworkers or wife or husband as a foil and critic. 13) Keep some kind of journal to monitor the territory already covered in your thinking, and review it occasionally to see progress. 14) Cultivate these practices in your coworkers by thinking out loud in your seeking.

Cultivation of Motivation

Long-range motivation (e.g., education for a profession) takes faith that long-range yield will outweigh costs. Usually, the payment periods are long, as are the scoring periods. Both carrot and stick are used. The options of failing and winning in a game played against yourself are constantly kept in mind. The fear of failure and the joys of success are constantly kept in mind. Run scared. Embellish your successes. Shoot high in your ambitions in an abstract sense, but shoot for intermediate objectives that are attainable by stretching. Avoid discouraging yourself. Be quick to discard failures, and accentuate successes to yourself. Set your standards for success higher than those set for you by others. Be willing to just get by with an unimportant theme so as to push hard for excellence in the important themes. Constantly stimulate yourself by making a game of getting your work done. Elements of game-rates of production of results - experimenting with methods - taking pride in accounting the progress-keeping objectives constantly in mind - sieve each competing activity through meshes whose holes lead to the objectives - recall that health and sense of well being underwrite your progress, so insure this foundation. Experiment with learning methods - e.g., working problems in book, then looking for material in book that shows you how to attack problem vs. learning book or lecture material first and then attacking problems. Imagine in working problems that your solution will be the first of its kind - in other words, pretend you are doing research. Set time limits on solving problems - to see if you can speed up your thought processes.

Study the careers of others, particularly those whom you admire. Study your competitors, to see if they can teach you something, either by being good or by being bad examples. Profit by the mistakes of others by imagining yourself as being in their place looking at the same options. Become aware of your own strengths and play them - fence around your weaknesses, or better, exercise the mental muscles that will allow weakness to be turned into strengths. Carry through on objectives so you can respect yourself, gain confidence, and leave a trail of objectives attained. Keep your mind clear by exercising it hard, then clear it as completely as possible by demanding physical exercises. This keeps a mind fresh and optimistic. Cultivate optimism, avoid pessimism and pessimistic people. Evaluate and monitor your progress. Postpone thinking diverting matters that do not have deadlines. The tougher the problem or challenge, the greater the allocation of time and vitality to it.

Once established in a profession, it becomes important to keep your mind fresh, stimulated, and challenged. Change research often enough to keep objectives fresh, but not so often as to not finish pieces of work. Take pride in craftsmanship. Throw away useless results - run with the successful ones. Only sift the negative results for their utility in avoiding them in the future. Do not dwell on them - they discourage too much - they are chronicles of failure, and failure is a teacher for avoidance.

Make pride in identity work for, not against reaching objectives. Use competitors' weapons where necessary. Stay away from current, much worked over fields, unless you have a special advantage, approach, or knowledge unique to yourself. Put your stamp of character on all your research. Do not be too happy with your first interpretations - a good but incorrect interpretation stifles thoughts about alternative, possibly better ones. Never be quite fully satisfied. Keep some appetite in reserve. Satiation of a research appetite is similar to that for food. Being satisfied does not last very long, and shouldn't. One of the beautiful things about research is that you can never really be fully satisfied with your performance, the performance is measured against such a giant context.