I argue that while Gale may present a somewhat logical definition for the term “accidental discovery,” as well as a convincing argument as to why his idea of accidental discoveries do not exist, Gale’s definition of what constitutes an accidental discovery is incomplete. In this essay, I will describe Gale’s definition of an accidental discovery, and assess his argument as to why accidental discoveries can not be made in science. Then, I will argue that an accidental discovery can actually occur whenever someone’s mind is prepared for a discovery. I will also argue that while Gale’s argument may be convincing, it does not thoroughly consider all types of accidental discoveries.
Gale claims that “discoveries can happen only to those whose …show more content…
On the other hand, in the first scenario, the assistant does not know what result to expect, so all he can think of is that he has done something wrong. I argue that both these scenarios are examples of accidental discoveries. In fact, I argue that accidental discoveries are not limited to these two scenarios, and may occur in all types of unexpected situations. Basically, an accidental discovery may occur anytime one’s mind is open to discovery in general, and willing to bend in order to learn something new. One does not need to have a hypothesis, or expect a specific result (as Gale argues) in order to make an accidental discovery. On the contrary, they only need to be ready, at all times, for any discovery to be made. And if they do have a hypothesis, they need to be willing to accept results which differ from their hypothesis. After all, the word “accidental” means a phenomena that happens by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally, and I argue that many discoveries do occur unintentionally, unexpectedly, and by chance (In the example above, Lavosier did not expect hydrogen and oxygen to combine into water). In conclusion, I agree that there can be no accidental discoveries in science of the type Lavoisier suggests; however, I argue that there are other types of accidental discoveries that can occur in
Gale claims that “discoveries can happen only to those whose …show more content…
On the other hand, in the first scenario, the assistant does not know what result to expect, so all he can think of is that he has done something wrong. I argue that both these scenarios are examples of accidental discoveries. In fact, I argue that accidental discoveries are not limited to these two scenarios, and may occur in all types of unexpected situations. Basically, an accidental discovery may occur anytime one’s mind is open to discovery in general, and willing to bend in order to learn something new. One does not need to have a hypothesis, or expect a specific result (as Gale argues) in order to make an accidental discovery. On the contrary, they only need to be ready, at all times, for any discovery to be made. And if they do have a hypothesis, they need to be willing to accept results which differ from their hypothesis. After all, the word “accidental” means a phenomena that happens by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally, and I argue that many discoveries do occur unintentionally, unexpectedly, and by chance (In the example above, Lavosier did not expect hydrogen and oxygen to combine into water). In conclusion, I agree that there can be no accidental discoveries in science of the type Lavoisier suggests; however, I argue that there are other types of accidental discoveries that can occur in