X-rays, pacemakers, microwave ovens, chocolate chip cookies, and countless others are all examples of inventions made by mistakes. These “mistakes” have enabled significant creations and discoveries to be made in medicine, technology, and food that would have otherwise remained nonexistent. In fact, without mistakes our world would be unable to innovate and grow into the highly developed planet we have become. In Lewis Thomas’s The Medusa and the Snail, he presents that human discovery is the result of human error rather than accuracy and precision because without error there is no trial.
In the past couple centuries, many achievements resulting from mistakes uphold Thomas’s claim of useful human discovery precipitated by chance. For example,
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the discovery of the antibiotic Penicillin single-handedly revolutionized medical science and saved millions of lives. Even though the antibiotic resulted from an “untidy lab” where a fungus contamination had occurred, it is still one of the most important pieces in medicine and science. It is apparent in the case of finding Penicillin that something was “obviously screwed up” but that error created a highly beneficial outcome for the greater good of mankind. Similarly, the discovery of the x-ray, accidently found by physicist Wilhelm Röntgen during his cathode ray study, has enabled medical professionals to greaten their healing abilities by seeing the inside and outside of the body. In this case, being “coded for error” allowed a significant finding to be unearthed and made accessible to the human world. If “everything is done flawlessly, by the book, and all the numbers add up to the predicted sums” then these highly important pieces of medicine may still be undiscovered, forcing the field of healthcare to be severely underdeveloped and less effective. In other words, “We are built to make mistakes” but those mistakes can create something extraordinary and beautiful. Those mistakes shape our world for the better and allow for future innovation and advancement to occur. Naturally in life, mistakes are bound to happen but those mistakes help define what makes an individual unique. Look at Albert Einstein, a man who made countless mistakes during his mathematical studies but each mistake lead him to eventually finding the answers. All of his mistakes, built Einstein into the patience and understanding man that everyone came to adore. A more recent and highly influential icon, who struggled to make it on television, is Oprah Winfrey. Starting out, Oprah made countless errors in efforts tokeepmthe Oprah Winfrey Network off the ground but after struggling she was able to take her mistakes and use them to create something she could be proud of. For both Einstein and Oprah “the move based on error” lead them into a successful and high-achieving world. Everyone makes mistakes but they enable us to discover ourselves and the world around us. When I was entering high school as a freshman or “fresh meat”, as older students like to call us, I was very excited to enter a new chapter of my life but, at the same time, the pressure of fitting in scared me to my very core. Because I desperately wanted to fit in, I made the wrong kinds of friends that led me to a very dangerous place in my life. As I tried to make friendships, I ended up being utterly humiliated and embarrassed when I realized that they did not want me to be their friend. During this time, I became extremely depressed because I felt exposed and alone, thinking no one cares for me even when it was not true. Being freshmen I was not able to appreciate my error but now I am thankful for it has shaped me into who I am and knowing that “fitting it” means nothing if you are surrounded by people who accept and love you for you. In the end, “if we were not provided the knack of being wrong, we could get anything useful done.” Without failing, how is one to know its surprisingly beneficial outcome. Although mistakes can lead to the discovery of amazing inventions, it does not mean that the scientific approach to innovation has to be abandoned.
The idea of perfection does not have to be abandoned and the error does not have to be looked for, but rather, brought by chance. The spontaneity of mistakes is what makes human discovery great because it allows for the unknown to be regulated and rationalized without completely knowing why. This is where the phenomenon of “trial and error” occurs: “The old phrase puts it that way because this is, in real life, the way it is done.” As students, we use trial and error daily in academics and life to create something that has the chance to grow, but if it fails, the trial is started over with the knowledge of a mistake. One of the greatest trial and error cases that used science and mistakes to invent is the creation of the light bulb. Thomas Edison’s light bulb was created and finalized through many trails that ended up failing but in each trail he learned something new and helpful. Another famous trial and error case was the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s. On a national level, the government declared that alcohol was to be removed because it was causing crime and spoiling its nation. This law was tried for a long period of time, until the government realized the law was causing more harm than good and decided to remove it. Many governmental laws and policies see this system. The court system is based around trial and error, repeatedly trying someone until they confess their crimes. In the end, the “root nodules” of mistakes embedded into the world can only be seen once the “investigator can bring himself to say. “But even so, look at that!” then the new findings, whatever it is, is ready for snatching.” Human investigation allows us to look past the science and math onto something that is perfectly accidental, and beneficial for present and future innovation. In order to “leap across mountains of information to
land lightly on the wrong,” mistakes have occur and take their place in building, inventing, and creating what may have otherwise been forever unknown. The countless mistakes made in this world have allowed for great innovation to take place. The unimaginable has been created because one mistake allowed for investigation. Human error and human discovery let that pinhead-sized mistake become a skyscraper of possibility that could change our world for the better. Mistakes and errors are often seen as one’s wrongfulness and inability to properly keep organized, but humans have turned mistake and error into the greatest of possibilities. Mold became an antibiotic and the accidental spill became the x-ray. Innovation is inspired by our human ability to learn for our mistakes.
Many great scientists have found lost cities and great treasures, how? By making mistakes. Mistakes have led to great discoveries and rich people. Many errors lead to lost treasure, making new things, and you can learn from them; so you do not make the same mistake again. Therefore, mistakes are crucial part of a discovery.
Atwood takes many of today’s potential scientific developments and illustrates the worst possible outcome of what may happen if we continue the unregulated pursuit of knowledge. In reality, the scientific advances of today will yield a higher standard of living for the majority of the world tomorrow. We will continue to push for the best in everything including science, medicine, and technology; we will not allow any single person to make the sole decision to develop an idea. Scientific progression will save many lives; therefore, it should and will always be there for us.
Are mistakes truly a key part of discovery? I believe mistakes are a key part of discovery. Some people might argue they aren’t and you can discover lots of things without making mistakes but I think you can also discover more things with mistakes involved.
7. John Wisdom, Paradox and Discovery (Berkeley: The University of California Press, 1969), p. ix.
Mistakes are essential for improvement, whether that’s in science or in social situations. Every error a person makes brings them closer to the right answer or a new discovery. For instance, the discovery of penicillin was based upon a mistake. However, the effect wasn’t a negative
...vercome, there is more of a chance to capture such great discoveries. People need to realize that if they never take the time to stop and look around, appreciate the small things in life, they might miss out on important details and or moments that the world has to offer. Scientist didn’t obtain their greatest discoveries by looking at the world with a closed mind. During the months of September through Novemeber, the leaves start to fall off the trees. It is obvious its fall, but what else is occurring? Gravity. Albert Einstein discovered gravity by watching and ordinary object fall. At that moment he became a scientific unscrupulous observer.
Mistakes do lead to discovery. Without mistakes, scientists would not know what they have to fix in their research or what they are doing wrong. A chocolate bar melting in Percy Spencer’s pocket led to the invention of the microwave. He made the mistake of leaving the chocolate bar in his pocket near the Magnetron, but it lead to the invention of the microwave! So, I believe that mistakes lead to discovery of new things.
Many people change their position on this overarching question: What responsibility do people have when developing new technology? In the texts “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, “the Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, and “De-Extinction” answers the questions that it may impose. Each of these texts share one same belief: Society holds heavy responsibility towards technological advancements. Throughout the article, she talks about how the HeLa helped create cures for various diseases, and how groundbreaking they are.
In modern days, scientific discourse between ‘normal’ and ‘revolutionary’ scientists has raised questions about what they should or shouldn 't give proper attention and further study. One example of this, is the orthodox narrative of modern human history shared by geologists and archaeologists around the world, which tells us that the first technologically advanced human civilizations started in Mesopotamia around 3,000-5,000 BC. However, a series of evidence brought forth by two science skeptics and scientists suggest that the current narrative of our history could be inaccurate. They argue that it’s possible that a lost, technologically advanced ancient civilization mapped and explored the globe with great accuracy millennia before orthodox human history tells. From this debate arises a question: Should scientists focus exclusively on driving the current paradigm to its limits and not bother challenging it, even if other theories and scientific evidence defy the paradigm?
Wolf, A. A History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Vol. 2. New York: Harper, 1959.
The situations of technological flaws he chose as his examples added integrity to his arguments as well as proved his thesis. The author was skilled at explaining these examples profusely, thus further educating the readers and making them aware of how innovation can turn horribly wrong. One of Suzuki’s significant examples was the use of the DDT insecticide. The sole purpose of this chemical compound’s use was to kill malaria-carrying mosquitoes in hope of saving lives of those living in tropical climate countries. Although DDT did assist many, its use created more harm and damage than good. Evidently, that was not the goal of this insecticide; it was created to be helpful and to provide in a difficult circumstance. However, its side effects unmistakably cancel out any beneficial aspects it might have had. This example clearly illustrates the negative impacts technology has had on humanity. Another example Suzuki decided to put forth is the use of the oral contraceptive. Many overlook issues technology creates; they are too preoccupied with the benefits, it is all anyone can see! The oral contraceptive has undoubtedly helped countless women worldwide. However, as the author states in his essay, “ It was only after millions of healthy, normal women had taken the pill for years that epidemiologists could see negative effects. No amount of pretesting could have
Diamond, J. (1987). The worst mistake in the history of the human race. Discover, 8(5), 64-66.
Wolf, A. A History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Vol. 2. New York: Harper, 1959.
Unlike today, where knowledge and technology improve at a relatively frenetic pace, the intellectual temper during the sixteenth century was quite different. People back then did not expect or imagine that great leaps and bounds would be made in the realm of knowledge and were instead rather conservative and tended to respect institutions of authority (Parry, 2). Because of this reality, people generally didn’t question authority or the status quo which produced a relatively slow and unimaginative pace in the terms of scientific exploration. In fact, many scientists were afraid to run too far away from what was considered main...
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a beautiful girl named Medusa. Medusa lived in Athens, Greece. Although there were many pretty girls in the city, Medusa was labeled the most amazingly dressed and structured.