Serendipity Term paper
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Serendipity
Serendipity by definition means the faculty of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for (Webster s 1074). In other words serendipity means discovering things by accident. The word serendipity was coined by English writer, connoisseur, and collector, Horace Walpole in a letter to his friend, Sir Horace Mann in 1754. Walpole was impressed about a story he read about the adventures of The Three Princes of Seredip who were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of . (Walpole ix). Walpole used the term to describe some of his own accidental discovery. The word itself was then rediscovered and was used with increasing frequency.
Most of the people who were blessed with serendipity are not reluctant to admit their good fortune. Far from being defensive about the role that chance played in their discoveries, they are usually eager to describe it. They realize that serendipity does not diminish the credit given to them for making the discovery. Louis Pasteur, who made breakthrough discoveries in chemistry, microbiology, and medicine, recognized this and expressed it succinctly, In the field of observation, chance only favors the prepared mind (Pasteur 777). Nobel laureate, Paul Flory upon receiving the Perkin medal, the highest honor given by the American Chemical Society, stated:
Significant inventions are not mere accidents. The erroneous view (that
they are)is widely held, and it is one that scientific and technical community, unfortunately, has done little to dispel. Happenstance usually
plays a part, to be sure, but there is much more to invention than the
popular notion that the bolt out of the blue. Knowledge in depth and in breadth
are virtual prerequisites. Unless the mind is thoroughly charged beforehand,
the proverbial spark of genius, if it should manifest itself , probably will find
nothing to ignite (Flory x).
These statements by Pasteur and Flory show that they understood what
Walpole meant when he described serendipity as discoveries made by accident and sagacity.
Going back to Pasteur s statement, what did he mean by the prepared mind and how can it be acquired? There is no inborn ability or talent for discovery in many of those who benefit from serendipity. But there is a dominant characteristic shared by those who benefit from serendipity and that is curiosity. Take for example George deMestral who went out for a walk in the countryside of his native Switzerland. Upon returning home he noticed that his jacket was covered with cockleburs. As he was taking them off he asked himself, What makes them stick so tenaciously? (deMestral 220). His curiosity led him...
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