A number of scientific discoveries are claimed to be incidental or serendipitous. To what extent might some of these scientific discoveries be the result of intuition rather than luck?
A number of scientific discoveries are claimed to be incidental or serendipitous. To what extent might some of these scientific discoveries be the result of intuition rather than luck?
Springs Pacelli 
In my initial answer, I believed that an individual had no hand in the making of his own luck, and that luck was completely an external factor. Intuition was a ‘gut feeling’ that comes from within that compels you to strongly believe in something even if there is lack of proof or evidence. After watching the video in class about serendipity, I realized that we are essentially the makers of our own luck. It doesn’t just appear out of air, but rather it is a result of what you’ve put together.
I now know that luck is a catalyst in scientific discoveries, but I still believe that scientific discoveries may also be intuitional.
An example of a discovery based on intuition: The Big Bang Theory. It is one of the most popular theories about how our world came to be, but even though people may have proof now, it was initially just an idea that an individual came up with as a result of a thought and a feeling.
An example of luck is the discovery of velcro. What were the chances that on a hiking trip in 1941, Georges de Mestral found burrs clinging to his pants and to his dog’s fur? After he did some research (because of an intuition he had that he was on to something), he found that the burr’s hooks would cling to anything loop-shaped. He artificially recreated the loops, and called this new invention ‘velcro’.
Science involves luck and intuition.
A)I think intuition is an important factor but sometimes the unexpected will occur such as when Louis Pasteur accidentally formed the fungi penicillium which was a huge scientific breakthrough which was used in modern medicine to kill bacteria and cure diseases such as Salmonella. This was luck as he did not intend on discovering this as he accidentally left agar jelly in a Petri dish and then after realized the true potential of the mould which formed,thus showing how intuition. An provide a foundation for serendipity as he had different intentions,but these intentions led to other things as well.