re science and methodology was homeopathy tradition gary merrill writes not every wild flight of fancy serves or can serve in the appropriate relation to a hypothesis it is somewhat interesting that when anyone is challanged to provide an example of this sort the only one they come up with is the one about kekule surely there must be others but apparently this is regarded as an extreme example of a non rational process in science whereby a successful hypothesis was proposed but how non rational is it indeed an extreme example it came out of nowhere the connection kekule saw between it and his problem is fortunate but not extraordinary i for example often receive conjure solutions hypotheses for solutions to my everyday problems at moments when i appear to myself to be occupied with activities quite removed algorithms for that new software feature come when i trample the meadow on my occasional runs alternative better ways to instruct and rear my sons arrive while i weed the garden i ll swear i am not thinking about any of it when ideas come these ideas are not the stuff of great discoveries of course but my connecting them to particular problems is fraught with deliberation and occasional fits of rationality surely it wasn t the only daydream kekule had what was special about this one could it have had something to do with a perceived analogy between the geometry of the snakes and problems concerning geometry of molecules yes and he was lucky to have such a colorful vivid image i alas will never figure out why returning worms to the loose soil of my garden brought have him count objects instead of merely count to mind regarding my year old s fledging arithmetic skills upon close examination is there a non rational mystical leap taking place or is it perhaps closer to a formal though often incomplete analogy or model the latter worms wiggling around in the dirt fascinate my son regards ted ted lehr my thoughts opinions and questions future systems technology group aws ibm internet lehr futserv austin ibm com austin tx
