In: Biology
What examples of learning by "happy accident" or just by chance have you experienced in your own life?
What do you think it means for a person (especially a scientist) to have a "prepared mind," as Pasteur describes?
How can a person prepare his or her mind to be open to chance within a particular discipline? What roles might education, job experience, and life experience play in creating a prepared mind?
Often researchers must try many things that don't work before they find the hypothesis that really explains what is going on. This expectation of failure probably does not sit well with funding agencies or the public. How could this important part of the scientific method be explained to the public so that it is better accepted?
While giving a test which requires selecting the correct answers out of the given options, due to paucity of time, a particular option was marked for all the remaining questions. At least 50% of the marked answers turned out to be correct. This shows, that at times, a happy accident turns out to be a big learning experience.
A prepared mind can decide the course of action to be taken. Ideas and intelligence need to be put into a action. For this, a proper planning and practice through development of a consistent work culture is required.
Practicing an art/ skill gives confidence and an insight on the course of action to be taken. Education provides an opportunity to hone one's skills. This in turn, prepares a person very well for the future.
Failure in research helps the scientist to analyze different aspects of the experimental subject. It prepares him/ her to analyze things and take a new approach to reach the goal. So, the public at large should understand that failures are truly, the pillars of success.