Erroris as valuable as Accuracy in the Production of Knowledge
Errorcan be best described as an action, perception, or presentation thathas wandered away from the actual entity. In other words error is theaction of being incorrect or inaccurate. Apparently the knowledgethat exists currently is obtained from learning especially throughexperiments and measurements. The ability to make meaningfulinferences regarding this information is of utmost importance be itin the field of science, art and even learning of language. Inresearch, almost all measurements are prone to uncertainties since itis almost impossible to perform exact measurements. Similarly, theorydevelopment presents a challenge in the level of accuracy since theknowledge used in such is not perfectly reliable. Assumptions doexist to a significant extent. However, the validity of knowledge hasto be maintained by making sure that the margin of error is asminimum as possible (GreatBritain., & Great Britain, 2011).More often than not the presence of errors in scientific studies andthe day to day life are perceived by many as setbacks and of negativeinfluence. While this might be true, the importance of these errorsin all fields of life play a vital role in informing us.Understanding the benefit and value of errors using a differentdimension is key to the appreciation of how inaccuracy can bebeneficial. This paper looks at the various ways in which mistakescan actually propel improvement of knowledge to the same extent asaccuracy (GreatBritain, 2010).
Accuracyis a very important tool in all spheres of life. It is precisionwhich facilitates the process of vehicle manufacture and movement,drug manufacture and other medical practices, building andconstruction and also in business and economics. Despite this fact,the level of accuracy in the various facets differs. This is whyevery day, people work towards improving the things that we presumeto be accurate. For instance, construction practices have changed,models and shapes of cars have evolved, methods of diagnosis andtreatment have also improved and the methods of teaching have alsochanged considerably. One might then ask the question, “Whatcompels these changes?” The most correct answer is error. Theinaccuracy and miscalculations that are encompassed in these fieldstend to inform the involved people that something needs to be done toimprove the overall exactness.
Inour day to day activities, we make numerous mistakes and this isusually followed by consequences. For instance, a new driver mightexperience a problem when driving through an arcade with a lot ofroad signs. Similarly, we also make certain choices concerning thediet, clothes, and entertainment and so on and so forth. Embeddedwithin the choices we make and the actions, the element of errorexists (Schoemaker, 2011). It is due to this reason that we couldfind ourselves regretting why we made certain decisions for instancenot carrying an umbrella then it rains, going through the red lightin traffic, developing a disease due to poor eating habits amongnumerous other experiences. Such mistakes form a platform for gainingknowledge and an understanding that directly affects the futurebehavior. In other words, we learn from these mistakes and theknowledge is kept and utilized to take correct measures when facedwith a similar situation (Tavris, 2008). One of the most importantvalues of making errors is the portraying of the consequences ofdecisions to the whole world. Liberally speaking, the outcome of baddecisions is not necessarily a negative attribute and thecharacteristic of errors to manifest serve the purpose ofenlightening the population, serving as a lesson to others who mayface the same situations. Also, the creation of an attitude thatignores the fear of failure is stimulated by errors (Pett, 2011).
Makinga mistake pushes one to solve the problem and in the end, develops anideology that promotes knowledge and experimentation and a motivethat looks forward to challenging situations and tackling them. Insummary, knowledge construction is fostered by the proper applicationof errors and mistakes in an appropriate manner. This is because suchslips inform, promote awareness and invoke the need for furtherexperimentation and innovation (Bergmann, 1988). The learning oflanguage is quite a complex process especially in the cases where aperson is learning a foreign second language. In this regard, thepossibility of language learners to make errors related to grammar,pronunciation, punctuation and sometimes accent is quite high. Whileone might assume that being fluent is important, the mistakes made inspeaking are easily noticed and thereafter possible methods ofcorrection can be applied to rectify such occurrences (Mishra, 2005).Additionally, in education, mistakes are the basis unto which thereason for experimentation is derived (Belsky, 1999). Basically,without making these communication deviations, then the mistakescannot be recognized and rectified.
Inthe perspective of science, the real life value of error can beobserved. Statistically, error can be defined as deviation of thecalculated, assumed or measured value and the true accepted value orthe value which is considered theoretically correct (Rabinovich,2013).Simply stated, calculations and measurements have a certain degree oferror within themselves and thus the question arises: “is errorvaluable in science?” the most common answer to expect is anoutstanding denial. However, the answer lies on how one looks at thesituation (Hanifan, 2010). Take for instance the measurement ofweight. Suppose the expected weight of an item or a person is 55kilograms, yet measurement by two weighing scales indicate twodifferent values then the accuracy of the scales will be put toquestion (Bacal, 2014). This phenomena therefore calls forcalibration of the measuring tools or repair. In this way we havegained the knowledge that one or both of the scales is inaccurate andsubsequent measurements with the same are also considered inaccurate(Good, 2011).Consequently in the field of medicine errors can also bemade more so in the misdiagnosis and treatment of disease. In oneaspect, the negative effects of such mistakes have adverse outcomesin the patients. However, the actual existence of the blunders can beof great help to the medical field. Taking the example of a wrongdiagnosis in a certain health facility, basing on such an event, thesource of this undoing can be detected earlier and other healthproviders sensitized. In the long run, the error provides a leeway tothe prevention of more fatalities to a similar misdiagnosis ortreatment case (Tugend, 2012).
Accordingto Hanifan (2010) the design of devices may sometimes contain errorsthat go unnoticed until the time when the certain circumstancesprovide the evidence of the existence of a mistake. As mentionedbeforehand, arise of these errors provide information that ultimatelyfocuses on the alleviation of the detected issues. In this way thequality of manufactured devices, machines and systems is considerablyincreased (Palade, 2003). A host of theories have been generated andas discoveries are being made each day, deviations can be identifiedwithin the theories pushing for the need to experiment and in theprocess students and scientists can acquire more knowledge (Reason,1991).
Insummary, science as part of our day to day life is greatly influencedby errors and accuracy. While increased accuracy improves safety andquality, the errors provide the foundation for improvement andinnovation. At this juncture, we can confidently proclaim that ifsuch errors were not identified then there would have been nonecessary amendments that foster better rulings and more applicableregulations that fit the needs of the people concerned (Kateb, 2006).
Conclusion
Manyat times, we are encountered by certain theories and ideologies as towhether certain issues are positive or not. The question as towhether errors are valuable of not is an example of such issues. Themaking of mistakes is one of such issues that can be arguedphilosophically. As discussed above, the errors made in differentaspects of life and education can serve as a valuable entity that canfacilitate further knowledge, learning and problem-solving(Merrington, 2011). The negative attitude associated with erroneousaspects of decision-making, research and other science-related fieldsneeds to be elaborated and described clearly so that people canunderstand the two sides regarding such issues. Last but not least,these benefits discussed above surely affirm that the errors arereally as valuable as accuracy in the production of knowledge.
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