Serendipity and Chance in Scientific Discovery

Gillies, Donald

doi:10.1002/9781118739044.ch25

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Thus, one might claim that he indeed "sought of" a way of improving the method of variolation, when (by accident) crossing the path with Andrew Fewster and the rumours that circulated at the time (though he might not have sought exactly the type of method that he found). Donald Gillies presents a similar interpretation of Fleming's discovery of Penicillin: Fleming was on the lookout for antiseptic agents, though he didn't expect to find them in a mould that accidently showed up in his laboratory (Gillies 2015). That Jenner's sagacity played a role in the discovery seems less controversial: Jenner recognized the potential of the insight and dedicated to it his systematic attention, to become the most important and outspoken proponent of the procedure at the time (Baxby 1999).…”

Section: Vaccination and Serendipity As An Emergent Propertymentioning

confidence: 93%

“…This account, which identifies luck in the antecedent conditions of the findingconditions which he did not control-has been challenged by historians. Serendipity is often understood as "finding the unsought" ( van Andel 1994) or "looking for something and finding another" (Gillies 2015). In light of these notions, Jenner's exposure to rumors in the dairies makes vaccination indeed seem like an unsought finding, but much of this assessment hinges on information that historians are lacking, as we will show.…”

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confidence: 98%

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Serendipity, Luck and Collective Responsibility in Medical Innovation—The History of Vaccination

Sand¹,

Chiapperino²

2023

Serendipity Science

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Martin Sand and Luca Chiapperino find in the concept of serendipity a versatile umbrella term to reassess their previous work on moral luck and collective responsibility. Moral luck supposedly occurs when someone receives praise or blame for things beyond control. Given the ubiquity of luck, this seems to be a seriously disquieting aspect of ordinary morality. The rewards and recognition for serendipitous discoveries fall into exactly this category. That is: more than the intentions, actions, and characters of scientists matters for discoveries to obtain, just as in cases of moral luck something beyond morality affects our moral judgments. Even if a theoretical way of resolving the conceptual ambiguities that underlie this debate were found, there remain practical questions of how to perform stratification in science and innovation in ways that both hinge on, and yet refrain from, considerations of desert and achievement. With the example of Edward Jenner's luck-and serendipity-infused discovery of vaccination, the authors attempt to better understand the intricate value trade-offs that underlie stratification policies in science, which have to be constantly re-negotiated to maintain their legitimacy. Thereby, Sand and Ciapperino aim to take a bold step towards understanding the ethics of serendipity.In this chapter, we consider the history of vaccination and discuss its relation to the notions of serendipity and luck. Edward Jenner is usually credited with the discovery of the basic mechanism of vaccination that led to the eradication of smallpox: However, when dissecting this case in more detail, we will find that luck was involved in various shapes and forms throughout this process. Given the conceptual proximity between luck and serendipity, the discovery of vaccination has also been considered serendipitous (Roberts 1989). It has been suggested, that is, that Jenner was made M. Sand (B)

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Section: Vaccination and Serendipity As An Emergent Propertymentioning

confidence: 93%

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Serendipity, Luck and Collective Responsibility in Medical Innovation—The History of Vaccination

Sand¹,

Chiapperino²

2023

Serendipity Science

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“…More often than not, grants drive researchers to address particular problems, a process that discourages flexibility and makes it hard to change directions in light of unexpected developments, stifling serendipity. 7 Furthermore, funding agencies are more likely to support projects where successful outcomes can be predicted with reasonable certainty, in order to maximize their returns. 8 This is not to say that all research should be curiositydriven-unexpected findings can arise from targeted studies as well-but curiosity-driven research should be given a chance.…”

Section: Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking Serendipity

Pearlman¹

2021

BSJ

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“…Directly, by encouraging crowding in of public investment in research and by the creation of new markets and by tacking major social challenges through investment in innovation (Mazzucato 2013). Indirectly, through carrying our basic research (Giunta et al 2017) as well as processes such as serendipity where casual scientific discoveries have led to the introduction of radically new technologies (Gillies 2015).…”

Section: Filling the Investment Gap In Europementioning

confidence: 99%

Investment in innovation for European recovery: A public policy priority

Archibugi

Filippetti

Frenz

2019

Science and Public Policy

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The 2008 crisis had severe consequences in Europe at many levels. One of them is the significantly lower levels of public and private investments. This article explores to what extent a large plan of public innovation investment could contribute to the overall economic recovery and to opening a new stage of development in the European Union (EU). We argue that key scientific and technological opportunities, currently untapped, exist, which have the potential to accelerate economic growth and to pull in private investments. Decisive instruments, such as the Juncker investment plan and the proposed 2021–7 Framework Programme Horizon Europe, are important steps in that direction. The article concludes by reviving Lundvall’s call for a Council for Innovation and Competence Building that should have the same political weight as the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council.

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Serendipity and Chance in Scientific Discovery

Cited by 13 publications

References 6 publications

Serendipity, Luck and Collective Responsibility in Medical Innovation—The History of Vaccination

Serendipity, Luck and Collective Responsibility in Medical Innovation—The History of Vaccination

Seeking Serendipity

Investment in innovation for European recovery: A public policy priority

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