Courage to be Wrong
By Christopher MooreI just finished watching an episode of the West Wing. The ending reminded me of why I love science and why I love spreading that love via teaching. It reminded me of how much courage it takes to try, even when you will probably fail.
In the beginning of the episode, the President is practicing for a telecast that he will be participating in with NASA scientists on the following day. They will be sharing with young students the first images transmitted by a Mars rover called Galileo 5. There’s talk of adding a bigger theme, something more than just a couple of pictures from a barren planet. Something about exploration.
Sometime in the middle of the episode the signal from Galileo 5 is lost. NASA is trying to regain it, but it becomes evident that the landing was unsuccessful and that the mission was lost. They plan to cancel the telecast.
At the end of the episode, the President’s spokesperson suggests to the president that maybe they should go ahead with the telecast. “We have a captive audience of thousands of young minds, some of which are afraid to go to the blackboard or raise their hand because they might be wrong. Let’s say to them that even the big boys get it wrong. And then tell them that we’re going to build Galileo 6.”
That’s a bigger theme.
Being wrong takes courage. Because any time we explore beyond what is known, we take a risk. We take the risk that we may fail. But if we never try, if we never pursue new knowledge, we have already failed.
Raise your hand. Go to the blackboard. Have the courage to be wrong. The only time we ever truly learn is when we fail first.
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