Gonzo punk science

The good Doctor’s appeal to pretty much anyone reading his books is undeniable. The raw feeling of being in the moment, the intense emotional presence of his writing is overpowering. The story, with facts and opinions woven haphazardly into it, is just one piece of the mad painting. This became known as “gonzo journalism,” foregoing an observer’s impartiality for the unbridled excitement of being part of the story. It’s more of an eye witness account than a sterilized retelling of the events.

Though decidedly partial, his version of the events offered a greater gut, visceral insight into what happened. Agree or disagree, reliving it through someone else’s eyes is bound to be interesting.

I would argue that such bits of mad inspiration, instinctual, careless creation exist in science, too. The Scientific Method is what comes after the secretive, mystical subconscious twists and turns by some unknown dynamics into an insight. Through some devilish talents, the improbably subconscious seeks out the single solid kernel of truth amongst a sea of half-truths and incomplete datasets. Somewhere, there is a truer pattern behind the dusty and rare windows, and discovering this pattern is not a reasonable or rational course.

The flash of genius is a lightning strike, and the few lucky enough to witness it are revealed a picture that no one has seen it before, and they are left o rediscover it, piece by piece, sometimes spending years, or their whole lifetimes, attempting to once again capture that single vision.

I say, the unquantifiable, unfathomable inspiration is a central part of what we, as scientists, do. The spark of the subconscious is as important to us as it is to artists. The Method to us is as mastery of the brush was to Dali, or skill with the guitar to Hendrix. They are the means to dress the original inspiration into a more physical manifestation that others can understand. With equations, we paint our beautiful, elegant truths.

So why not sex, drugs, and quantum mechanics?

Do we, perhaps, spend too much time honing the rational and the strictly sequential parts of our minds? Should we indulge the less structured parts of our soul, for they are the ones that will bear the more brilliant fruit?

After all, the unknown is our business. Some madness along the way is to be expected.