The Medusa And The Snail Analysis

Throughout history, many important innovations have positively transformed the human way of life for the better. Although, these new discoveries were not made overnight. More often that not, mistakes are made, but these mistakes have in many instances lead to success. Lewis Thomas, author of The Medusa and the Snail, argues that nothing will ever be accomplished if mistakes are not made in the process. Thomas’s views are valid based on the amount of inventions and discoveries created by making mistakes.
Mistakes are a part of being human. No matter how hard one may try, mistakes cannot be avoided. Some may believe that these mistakes have an overall negative effect, but many of the most famous inventors made multiple mistakes and still came out on top. Lewis Thomas says, “We are built to make mistakes, coded for error. We learn, as we say, by ‘trial and error.’ Why do we say that? Why not ‘trial and rightness’ or ‘trial and triumph’? The old phrase puts it that way because that …show more content…
Obviously, not all of the discoveries made happened on purpose. In fact, almost all of them were the result of a mistake. Lewis Thomas states, “A good laboratory, like a good bank or a corporation or government, has to run like a computer. Almost everything is done flawlessly, by the book, and all the numbers add up to the predicted sums. The days go by. And then, if it is a lucky day, and a lucky laboratory, somebody makes a mistake” (Lines 14-19). This is an accurate statement based on many of the earliest discoveries. For example, Percy Spencer was researching energy sources, and he walked in front of a magnetron by mistake. Later, he noticed that it had melted the chocolate bar in his pocket. This latest discovery lead the the invention of the microwave, which is now used in households around the world. Without mistakes like these, the world, as many people know, would not be the