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"Why do "aha moments" strike us suddenly? Why do they so often come to us when we are focused on something completely unrelated? And when great ideas "come to" us, where do they come from? In Aha!: The Moments of Insight that Shape Our World, philosopher William B. Irvine explores these epiphanies, from the minor insights that strike us all daily, to the major realizations that alter the course of history. Focusing on aha moments as they take place in five different domains--religion, morality, science, math, and art--Irvine provides case studies that shed light on the different ways epiphanies happen in the different domains, and on their differing social impact. Along the way, he describes some of the great aha moments in history, from ancient times to the present day. We like to think that our greatest thoughts are the product of our conscious mind. Irvine demonstrates, though, that it is our unconscious mind that is the source of our most significant insights, and that the role the conscious mind plays in eliciting these insights is to try, unsuccessfully, to solve certain problems. Only if the conscious mind is willing to do this--and thereby experience considerable frustration--is the unconscious mind likely to reward it with a breakthrough insight--that the conscious mind will then take credit for. Irvine explores not only the neuroscience of aha moments but also their personal and social ramifications. How does a person respond to having a breakthrough insight that goes against a dominant paradigm? And how does the world respond when she shares that insight? He shows that in many cases, what is most remarkable about those who have had the great insights of human history is not their but their courage and perseverance in fighting for the world to accept them"--… (more)
User reviews
In a nutshell: Philosopher William Irvine looks at the ‘aha’ moments in religion, morality, math, science and art.
Line that sticks with me: “More generally, when I cannot give reasons for the moral beliefs I hold, I take it as compelling evidence that I
Why I chose it: I needed a little philosophy.
Review: I’m not totally sure what this book meant to be. The writing is good, but the overall cohesion is a bit lacking.
Irvine breaks his book into five sections, each with three chapters. In the first, he gives examples of the topic area (religion, morality, math, science, and art). In the following chapters he … also does things.
I found the section on math the most interesting, because it was fun to read about the different discoveries and also just learn more about what mathematicians do. But the section that I most enjoyed was on morality. It really gave me the fix I needed to not lose my connection to my philosophy education.
Seriously, it’s not bad, but I’m just not sure what I just read. There’s not a lot of cohesion, and he doesn’t really get at the problem I think he’s trying to solve.