To answer this question, we must first take a closer look at the statement itself, “Error is as valuable as accuracy in the production of knowledge.” Error can mean different things under specific topics, e.g. science (experimental error), however the over- arching meaning of error is if an action is wrong due to the fact that it is different from the “right”/norm one under the circumstances set by an individual or society as a whole. (Lorka, 2016,) Knowledge can be described as the possession of information in, which has been sought through reason, emotion, perception or language. (N/A, 2016) The question asks whether or not accuracy and error are on par or not in the production of knowledge. To answer the question, I will be looking at two Areas of knowledge- the Natural Sciences and the Arts. Both these areas of knowledge have benefits and downfalls when error occurs. The Ways of Knowing that will be apparent when answering the question are reason, emotion and sense perception.
Error in the natural sciences lead to potentially disastrous and even dangerous consequences. Misleading or faulty scientific reports can send other scientists astray, wasting years of time and hard-earned research grants. Badly designed applications and poorly analyzed data can potentially contribute to a loss in a presidential election. During a test of one of Chernobyl's four reactors, run by Soviet nuclear experts, they turned off the backup cooling system and used only eight boron-carbide rods to control the rate of fission instead of 15 rods which scientists discovered was the required amount only after the incident. A runaway chain reaction blew the steel and concrete lid off the reactor and created a fireball, releasing 100 times more radiation than did the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs combined. Some 4,300 people eventually died as a result, and more than 70,000 were permanently disabled. (US Department of Energy,1994, pg 23-28) This is a clear example of when error in the natural sciences went horribly wrong and the consequences were detrimental. So no knowledge was produced and in these circumstances error was not as valuable as accuracy in the production of knowledge
Due to the fact that error in the Natural Sciences can have the potential to produce negative consequences many research facilities have trouble to attain funding due to that risk. As well as this, due to the fact that to reach a big discovery in the Natural Sciences many errors must be made along the way with no guarantee that there will be something useful that comes out of it, laboratories are often subject to funding cuts from governments as governments need to put funding into things that are seen as more efficient and can guarantee them a positive outcome by putting their money to good use. In fact, the Australian government decided to cut funding for a lot of research projects, in 2014, as they had ‘no direct benefit to society’ with a decrease of $80 million (around 20%) and then a further $27 million in 2015. (Australian Federal Government, 2015) My sister was actually directly affected by these budget cuts as her laboratory, the Bio21 Institute, that she worked for in researching a particular nutrient, that was later discovered to be associated with progress towards discovering a cure for aids by a laboratory overseas (who had sufficient funding), was shut down and many scientists and researchers, including my sister, lost their jobs. (University of Melbourne, 2015) However, it is important to realise that error in the natural sciences can also lead to significant discoveries, which I will be proving later on. Therefore, the fact that the government cut funding for research has resulted in a lost the opportunity for Australia to excel in the world of scientific and medical research.
In the Natural Sciences, the most common assumption from society would be that error can only bring negative outcomes and that there should be no place for error in the world of science. However, error in natural sciences can actually lead to greater discoveries and can have the ability to further an individual or societies knowledge. Major scientific discoveries that we know of today were made through error and accidents, mostly in research projects, therefore error can have a great benefit on the natural sciences. For example, Sir Alexander Fleming was experimenting with the influenza virus in 1928 when he left for a two-week vacation. He returned to find that a mould had contaminated his staphylococcus cultures. But more importantly, he found that the bacteria were unable to grow anywhere near the mould, and that moment of sloppiness, which resulted in the invention of penicillin, would change medicine forever. (Randall, 2011) As well as this, error in the natural sciences can actually prevent greater errors in the future that may cause more mayhem, preparing scientists for future endeavours and equipping them with knowledge to improve on their work. In fact, many lessons have been learnt from the unexpected explosion of one of Chernobyl’s four reactors including the fact that 15 rods are now required for standard operating procedure when dealing with nuclear resources. (Balonov, 2010)
The difference between error in the natural sciences and in the arts is that in the natural sciences error can potentially be fatal, however in the arts error is seen as not as severe, however it is important to realise that although error in the arts is not as drastic than in the natural sciences it still can have a major effect on a person’s well-being. When error occurs in the arts it can make the artist inside a person die, resulting in no art, as perfectionism is generally very important to an artist due to their passion, proving the argument that accuracy in the arts is more valuable than error in the arts.
Artists tend to strive for flawless performances/ pieces of art and perfection, avoiding errors at all cost. Dealing with errors whilst creating art can often be frustrating and can lead to anger and despair, especially since artists generally have very intense and passionate personalities, which may explain artist’s negative attitude towards errors and the tendency to aim for flawlessness. It can even lead to artists to stop what they are doing and giving up altogether.
However, making errors in the world of art can actually lead the artists to do better and greater things. “Jazz is an art form that must strive for greatness at all levels…if the artists are not encouraged to take risks, how can greatness be achieved? There are no sure things in life or art.” (M.Martin, p23, 2002) . This quote suggests that in order to be innovative or to make a performance or art piece extraordinary (i.e. produce knowledge), artists need to risk errors.
In fact, in some cases the despair and negative attitude towards making errors can actually be used in a person’s art to make it better. As well as this, in the arts many argue that accuracy does not actually exist in true art and therefore neither does error. This is due to the fact that many believe that ‘error’ in art is actually what makes it enjoyable and unique. An example of where ‘error’ improved art is Marcel Duchamp’s renowned work The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass). Duchamp formally declared that the work was “unfinished” in 1923. During shipping however, following its first (and only broken) public exhibition, the glass symmetrically shattered, resulting in many large cracks in it. Duchamp repaired it, but left the cracks in the glass intact, accepting the chance element as a part of the piece. (Rondall, 2016) This shattering chance error had in fact finished the piece- and in many art critics’ opinion, “improved it by adding lines of energy into the homogenous material.” (Baekeland, p42,1957) In fact, I myself have experienced this. Last year I went through a time where I was not being cast for things that I had auditioned for as a singer and I was unable to book events and performances to sing at consistently. The reason I was told that I was not booking these performances was due to the fact that I had made an ‘error’ in the piece that I had auditioned with. This error was always the fact that I tried to make the piece my own and unique to me. This constant rejection actually made me stop singing completely for 6 months and shutdown the artist side of me. Making the errors I made, completely discouraged me and in return I completely stopped creating music (art). However, I later realized that these ‘errors’ that I made is actually what made people notice my voice in the first place and that I should continue looking for performances. I was able to later on find people who appreciated my ‘errors’, proving that error was valuable to art.
Although error can lead to negative consequences in both the natural sciences and the arts it is important to realise that without the risk of error you may stand the chance of being held back from something greater. Although accuracy ensures moderate success, the risk of error can not only improve something but can help an individual to learn for the future, as error is a key aspect of the process of obtaining useful and valuable knowledge.