choosing the perspective of others -- in this case, the gnat’s perspective. Does the gnat want to be in or out? Is there anything that you can do to influence the gnat’s behavior? Gnats, like most flying insects, are attracted to light. So shine a light in your ear, and help the gnat escape.
For those who are more committed to attaining insights than to persisting with their current research projects, consideration of the following questions may suggest more fruitful research directions [Oliver, 1991]. Is the present discipline becoming more isolated and losing touch with the rest of the field? What is its past and present rate of progress and discoveries, and are they accelerating or decelerating? Are many datasets still not understood, thereby indicating the potential for new insights? Is the field undergoing long-term changes, such as from observational to theoretical or perhaps toward increasing interaction with some other discipline? Do gaps between specialties create opportunities for dual-specialty science, and will their exploitation require intensive background study or selection of co-workers in that specialty? Is there an alternative research thrust to that followed by the majority of researchers in the field?
From Puzzle Solving . . .
The magnitude of the creative leap forms a continuum, from minor problem solving to major creative insight to mystical experience. The thrill of major creative insight or mystical experience is quite rare, yet most scientists capture a taste of that thrill every day in the small-scale problem solving that is a characteristic part of science. Indeed, many scientists have puzzle-solving hobbies such as chess, bridge, and reading mysteries -- hobbies that further gratify the craving for insights of any size.
Some classic puzzle-solving techniques also foster both insight and scientific problem-solving:
• redefine the problem by breaking it down into several components, then attack one or more of these pieces individually;
• decide which thread to grasp, to start unraveling the puzzle;
• analyze all assumptions and detect inappropriate, overlooked, or invalid assumptions;
• provisionally assume an answer, then look at its implications for the problem.
Perhaps a hobby of puzzle solving can improve our ability to recognize hidden scientific assumptions. Killeffer [1969], among others, suggests that the practice of puzzle solving improves the ability of the mind to see patterns and associations. This ability, like other acquired skills, can be enhanced by practice.
“It began with little things, certain small clinical changes which I observed. Little things can be important. Even more important is the ability -- call it knack, hunch, providence, good luck, whatever -- to know what you are looking for and to put two and two together. A great scientist once said that genius consists not in making great discoveries but in seeing the connection between small discoveries. . . Small disconnected facts, if you take note of them, have a way of becoming connected.” [Percy, 1987]
“It’s just like doing a jigsaw puzzle: whenever you think that there is no piece that can possibly fill a blank space, you don’t just throw up your hands and insist that
