#Fallibility

Even Experts Stumble: Humility Through Mistakes

From personal humility, the proverb naturally extends to social judgment. When someone competent makes a mistake, the easiest response is surprise or blame—especially if we expected flawless performance. Yet the saying urges a softer interpretation: treat errors as information before treating them as accusations. This shift matters in workplaces, classrooms, and families. A culture that assumes even “monkeys” can fall makes room for honest reporting and quicker correction, whereas a culture of perfectionism often encourages hiding mistakes until they become bigger problems. [...]

The Dual Foundations of Knowledge: Truth and Error

Transitioning from education to creativity, history is replete with examples where error has sparked innovation. Penicillin, as discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, famously resulted from the accidental contamination of a petri dish. Such ‘mistakes’ challenge fixed assumptions and open pathways to novel solutions, echoing Jung’s conviction that error is essential to cognitive growth. [...]

We Must Not Allow the Opinion of Others to Deprive Us of Our Right to Be Wrong – Paul Valéry

To embrace the right to be wrong is to cultivate resilience – the ability to recover and learn from errors – and confidence in navigating the world without being deterred by the judgments of others. [...]