Scientific discovery, peak experiences and the Col-oh-nell Flastratus! phenomenon.

A personal dream about a comic novel title prompts an inquiry into whether the euphoric 'peak experience' of scientific discovery can be as delusional as a dream. While such elation does not guarantee objective truth—insights must be checked and intoxicants can induce pseudo-profound insights—peak experiences are not irrelevant. They may serve as a personal 'significance alarm' signaling high-quality insight by one's own standards, urging attention and understanding. Their objective value depends on the cognitive quality of the individual's brain. The best approach may be to regard the scientific peak experience as a signal from the self to the self, an auto-administered emotional reward for good thinking.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Once I had a bizarre dream in which I was vouchsafed a secret which would ensure my wealth and success. It was the title for a comic novel; one supposedly so funny that it would guarantee classic status for any book: Oh Colonel Flastratus! The distinctive feature about my dream was its quality of profound significance, which felt akin to the Eureka moment of a scientific discovery. This led me to question whether the 'peak experience' (PE) of scientific discovery might be as delusional as my dream. On the one hand, euphoric elation attached to a discovery does not guarantee that insights objective truth - implications must be spelled-out and checked. The easy induction of pseudo-profound insights by intoxicants serves as a warning of the potential pitfalls. An arbitrary object becomes labeled with an obscure sense of delight and personal relevance in a process that could be termed the Colonel Flastratus! phenomenon. But neither are peak experiences irrelevant. A scientific PE is some kind of personal guarantee of the subjective truth of an insight - a signal that states: 'This is high quality stuff, by your standards. Do not ignore it, do not forget it, try to understand it'. Peak experiences in science could therefore be considered the result of a 'significance alarm' going off in the brain and their objective value depends on the specialized cognitive quality of that specific brain. So scientists may be correct to take peak experiences seriously. Perhaps the best approach is to regard the scientific PE as a signal from the self to the self, a subjectively evaluated and auto-administered emotional reward for good thinking.