When Do Genuine "Eureka Moments" Happen?

Archimedes is often credited for coining the term eureka, from Ancient Greek meaning "I have found it!" The exclamation is appropriate here given that when an individual is searching for something, there is generally some form of excitement or relief that accompanies the discovery. Though the use of eureka isn’t typically associated with literally finding a (lost) item, it is used to voice celebration over a discovery – generally an invention or some kind of thinking-based breakthrough.

Arguably, the term eureka is dated. Rarely do we hear it stated aloud anymore. But, that doesn’t mean that "eureka moments" cease to occur – the celebratory feeling associated with them remains felt by anyone who has just solved a difficult problem or come up with a good idea. With that, however, the question arises, should all solutions be celebrated? Well, if a solution doesn’t work or our idea turns out not to be a good one, then, obviously, it shouldn’t. So, when is celebration warranted? When do genuine eureka moments occur?

Eureka and Heuristics

Notably, the term "eureka" is the etymological root for heuristic. As many readers of this blog will know, a heuristic is a mental shortcut. It’s a "simple" experience-based protocol for problem-solving and decision-making – a "procedure that helps find the adequate, though often imperfect, answers to difficult questions" (Kahneman, 2011, p. 98).

Allusion to the concepts of "adequate" and "imperfect" is interesting, because another important characteristic of heuristics is that they are intuitively based, which is typically a type of thought that is the polar opposite of critical thinking. That’s not to say that intuition is a bad thing. It’s not; it’s evolutionarily adaptive in the sense that it allows for fast decision-making when only a quick response will do. However, in the context of critical thinking, we need to rely more on reflective judgment than its intuitive counterpart. Likewise, heuristics sometimes serve us well, even though they’re often misapplied, which leads to biased and faulty reasoning (e.g. Gilovich, Griffin, & Kahneman, 2002; Kahneman, Slovic, & Tversky, 1982; Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). As a result, though one might experience a "eureka moment" following the generation of an idea developed in light of a heuristic or intuitive-based judgment, such celebration might be premature, given that it might be based on an idea that is imperfect or inadequate.

The Creative Element of Eureka Moments

Another way of looking at the experience of a eureka moment is through the "creative" element of critical thinking; or, as many in the field of critical thinking conceive of it, inference. According to Sternberg (2003; 2006), creative thinking refers to the convergence of intellectual abilities, knowledge, styles of thinking, personality and motivation; which may, subsequently, yield a solution or conclusion that is (1) unusual or novel and (2) appropriate or valuable (Halpern, 2014; Runco & Jaeger, 2012; Sternberg, 2010). Now, though this may sound like a useful form of thought, in the absence of critical thinking, creative thinking alone is not particularly practical for solving problems or drawing conclusions that require care (Dwyer, 2017; Sternberg, 2002).

However, the use of "eureka" implies some form of novelty, again, given its association with invention; thus, to some extent, marrying itself with the novelty intrinsic to the notion of creative thought. Though, on the other hand, it may be that the problem here isn’t creative thinking or even its link with eureka moments; rather, it’s the way in which creative thinking is conceptualised that is problematic – perhaps conceptualising it akin more so to inference is a better approach (Dwyer, 2017); that is, through the gathering of credible, relevant and logical evidence based on the previous analysis and evaluation, for the purpose of drawing a reasonable conclusion.

In this respect, a thought-based breakthrough, like a "eureka moment," doesn’t have to be novel, in the traditional sense, for the product to be a "eureka moment." For example, Steve Jobs once described creative thinking in this light: “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” In this respect, a "eureka moment" may come about from "creating" or inferring a novel idea or solution through simply synthesising established ideas.

When Is a Eureka Moment Cause for Celebration?

The problem with the notion of a genuine "eureka moment" is that there’s no way to instantly recognise whether or not it’s genuine with respect to being a good idea or solution. For example, a solution must be evaluated before it can be confirmed as solving the problem. Coincidentally, one might use the trial-and-error method (which is actually heuristic-based) to confirm success.

So maybe the celebration associated with the "eureka moment" shouldn’t actually occur upon coming up with the idea or solution, rather once it has been evaluated and tested. Admittedly, such delay might make it a bit of an anti-climax; however, if you’re after a good idea or solution, sacrificing this feeling shouldn’t be an issue.

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Besides, given that we can’t turn off intuitive judgment, it’s always going to tell us what it thinks; so, we’ll still feel that eureka moment. It’s up to us, as critical thinkers, to engage reflective judgment and choose not to (prematurely) engage such celebration until we know, through evaluation, if it works. Anticlimactic or not, ensuring the accuracy of an idea or solution should be the only cause for celebration; and thus, maybe that’s when the genuine eureka moment occurs.