influence of style on the creative process.During a conversation with a co-worker-and he just as baffled-a fact quietly sifts from the insignificant background to the foreground;a trivial anomaly becomes a central piece of evidence,the entire pattern swims into focus,and at least one sees."How obvious!We knew it all along!"Or a rival may publish first but yet be wrong-and in the crashing wave of fear that he's got it right,followed and engulfed by the wave of realization that it must be wrong,the whole view of the problem skews,the tension of one's concentration twists abruptly higher,and at last one sees."Not that way, this way!” Para.12:One path to enlightenment,though,has been reported so widely,by writers and artists,by scientists,and especially by mathematicians,that it has become established as a discipline for courting inspiration.The frist stage,the reports agree,is prolonged contemplation of the problem,days of saturation in the data,weeks of incessant struggle-the torment of the unknown.The aim is to set in motion the unconscious processes of the mind,to prepare for the intuitive leap.William Lipscomb,a physical chemist at Harvard who won a Nobel Prize for finding the unexpected structures of some unusual molecules,the boranes,said recently that,for him,"The unconscious mind pieces together random impressions into a continuous story.If I really want to work on a problem,I do a good deal of the work at night-because then I worry about it as I got to sleep."The worry must be about the problem intensely and exclusively.Thought must be free of distraction or competing anxieties.Identification with the problem grows so intimate that the scientist ha the experience of the detective who begins to think like the terrorist,of the hunter who feels, as though directly,the silken ripple of the tiger's instincts.One great physical chemist was credited by his peers,who watched him awestruck,with the ability to think about chemical structures directly in quantum terms-so that if a proposed molecular model was too tightly packed he felt uncomfortable,as though his shoes pinched.Joshua Lederberg,president of the Rockefeller University,who won his Nobel for discoveries that established the genetics of microorganisms,said recently,"One needs the ability to strip to the essential attributes of some actor in a process,the ability to imagine oneself inside a biological situation; I literally had to be able to think,for example,'What would it be like if I were one of the chemical pieces in a bacterial chromosome<生>染色体？'一and to try to understand what my environment was,.try to know where I was,and so forth."Total preoccupation to the point of absent-mindedness is no eccentricity-just as the monstrous egoism and contentiousness of some scientists,like that of some artists,are the overflow of the strength and reserves of sureness they must find how they can. Para.13:Sometimes out of that saturation the answer arises,spontaneous and entire,as though of its own volition.In a famous story,Friedrich Kekule,a German chemist of the mid-nineteenth century, described how a series of discoveries came to him in the course of hypnagogic reveries-waking dreams.His account,though far from typical,is charming.Kekule was immersed in one of the most perplexing problems of his day,to find the structural basis of organic chemistry-that is,of the chemistry of compounds that contain carbon atoms.Enormous numbers of such compounds were coming to be known,but their makeup-from atoms of carbon,hydrogen,oxygen,and a few other elements-seemed to follow no rules.Kekule had dwelt on the compounds'behavior so intensely that the atoms on occasion seemed to appear to him and dance.In the dusk of a summer evening,he was going home by horse-drawn omnibus,sitting outside and alone."I fell into a reverie,and lo!The atoms were gamboling before my eyes," he later wrote."I saw how,frequently,two smaller atoms united to form a pair,how a larger one embraced to smaller ones;how still larger ones kept hold of three or even four of the smaller,whilst the whole kept whirling in a giddy dance.I saw how the larger ones formed a chain."He spent hours that night sketching the forms he had envisioned.Another time,when Kekule was nodding in his chair before the fire,the atomsinfluence of style on the creative process. During a conversation with a co-worker—and he just as baffled—a fact quietly sifts from the insignificant background to the foreground; a trivial anomaly becomes a central piece of evidence, the entire pattern swims into focus, and at least one sees. “How obvious! We knew it all along!” Or a rival may publish first but yet be wrong—and in the crashing wave of fear that he’s got it right, followed and engulfed by the wave of realization that it must be wrong, the whole view of the problem skews, the tension of one’s concentration twists abruptly higher, and at last one sees. “Not that way, this way!” Para. 12:One path to enlightenment, though, has been reported so widely, by writers and artists, by scientists, and especially by mathematicians, that it has become established as a discipline for courting inspiration. The frist stage, the reports agree, is prolonged contemplation of the problem, days of saturation in the data, weeks of incessant struggle—the torment of the unknown. The aim is to set in motion the unconscious processes of the mind, to prepare for the intuitive leap. William Lipscomb, a physical chemist at Harvard who won a Nobel Prize for finding the unexpected structures of some unusual molecules, the boranes 硼烷, said recently that, for him, “The unconscious mind pieces together random impressions into a continuous story. If I really want to work on a problem, I do a good deal of the work at night—because then I worry about it as I got to sleep.” The worry must be about the problem intensely and exclusively. Thought must be free of distraction or competing anxieties. Identification with the problem grows so intimate that the scientist ha the experience of the detective who begins to think like the terrorist, of the hunter who feels, as though directly, the silken ripple of the tiger’s instincts. One great physical chemist was credited by his peers, who watched him awestruck, with the ability to think about chemical structures directly in quantum terms—so that if a proposed molecular model was too tightly packed he felt uncomfortable, as though his shoes pinched. Joshua Lederberg, president of the Rockefeller University, who won his Nobel for discoveries that established the genetics of microorganisms, said recently, “One needs the ability to strip to the essential attributes of some actor in a process, the ability to imagine oneself inside a biological situation; I literally had to be able to think, for example, ‘What would it be like if I were one of the chemical pieces in a bacterial chromosome <生>染色体?’—and to try to understand what my environment was, try to know where I was, and so forth.” Total preoccupation to the point of absent-mindedness is no eccentricity—just as the monstrous egoism and contentiousness of some scientists, like that of some artists, are the overflow of the strength and reserves of sureness they must find how they can. Para. 13:Sometimes out of that saturation the answer arises, spontaneous and entire, as though of its own volition. In a famous story, Friedrich Kekule, a German chemist of the mid-nineteenth century, described how a series of discoveries came to him in the course of hypnagogic 催眠的 reveries—waking dreams. His account, though far from typical, is charming. Kekule was immersed in one of the most perplexing problems of his day, to find the structural basis of organic chemistry—that is, of the chemistry of compounds that contain carbon atoms. Enormous numbers of such compounds were coming to be known, but their makeup—from atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and a few other elements—seemed to follow no rules. Kekule had dwelt on the compounds’ behavior so intensely that the atoms on occasion seemed to appear to him and dance. In the dusk of a summer evening, he was going home by horse-drawn omnibus, sitting outside and alone. “I fell into a reverie, and lo! The atoms were gamboling before my eyes,” he later wrote. “I saw how, frequently, two smaller atoms united to form a pair; how a larger one embraced to smaller ones; how still larger ones kept hold of three or even four of the smaller; whilst the whole kept whirling in a giddy dance. I saw how the larger ones formed a chain.” He spent hours that night sketching the forms he had envisioned. Another time, when Kekule was nodding in his chair before the fire, the atoms