Failure is an Orphan (Let's Adopt)

摘要

We like to think that the progress of science follows an exponential curve, boldly shoot- ing upwards, ever more speedily. In reality, there is a firmament of darkness (that’s our daily slog) sparsely spotted with dim lights (those are discoveries). Fittingly, discoverers are also few, just as in every field of human endeavor. For every great leader, artist, or scientist there is a multitude of followers, and this is as it should be. There can only be so many winners—and only so much winning research. Anecdotal evidence has it that one project in a hundred gives back: Its results justify the investment.