The Medusa and the Snail Mistakes

It is undeniable that mistakes are a bsic fundamental of life. Whether or not that is a good or bad thing, is much harder to determine. In a passage from The Medusa and the Snail, biologist Lewis Thomas discusses mistakes and how they affect our life. In the second paragraph, Thomas claims that we, as humans, learn by â€Å"trial and error†. Although at first though this is seemingly true, but when it comes down to it, just how accurate is this saying? Some people make a mistake, learn from it, and move on. They will remember the consequences, and strive to never be in the same predicament again.Others, however, continuously make the same mistake. For example, generally, a person who does drugs once will repeatedly do it again and again. If this were not true, addicts would not exist. Instead of identifying this behavior as a problem, they simply look over it as if it is not a bad thing at all. Thomas says, â€Å"What is needed, for progress to be made, is the move based on t he error. † Most discoveries are made by accident. Productive mistakes are everywhere: science, medicine, history, and so on.For example, a pharmaceutical company developed Viagra as a heart medication, and it was to their surprise that the drug effectively benefited those suffering from erectile dysfunction. Accidents like this happen everyday, and sometimes, they can have a positive outcome. While some parts of Thomas' claims are true, others are difficult to agree with. Although some people do use their past mistakes to learn and grow as a person, not all are this wise. It is hard to make such a hasty generalization such as all people learn by â€Å"trial and error†, and expect it to be accurate.