Issue87【0806G desperado小组】第九次作业by坐照

wangyu0920UID: 199396

TOPIC: ISSUE87 - "In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important discoveries."
WORDS: 447          TIME: 00:16:26          DATE: 2007-12-17 15:32:38

1.    平衡观点：新手更渴望取得进步，更有热情；而取得重大的发现还需要其他因素，如知识，经验甚至运气。谁更可能取得重大发现需要具体问题具体分析。
2.    新手更有激情和进取心。爱因斯坦在提出光电效应和狭义相对论时只有26岁，这些发现由他取得重要的原因之一是他更年轻，也不局限于传统的物理学研究方法
3.    知识和阅历在研究中也很重要，孟德斯鸠游历各国，学习各方面的知识花20年时间完成《论法的精神》；达尔文周游世界采集标本，提出进化论。这些发现都是基于他们丰富的经验和实践。
4.    总之，无论新手还是老手，只要有热情并努力追求，都有可能取得成功。至于谁更有可能，取决的因素很多。

What are the key factors of making important discoveries? I agree with the speaker that the beginner is truly eager to make progress so that is more likely to make discoveries. However, in my view, it is not the only element that determines whether a new discovery could be made. Such other important factors as knowledge, experience, cooperation, or even luck could influence the result of inquiry. So which one, the beginner or the expert, is more likely to make important discoveries must be judged on a case-by-case basis.

Admittedly, the beginner gets more passion than the expert for the differences between their ages. And generally, the aspirations for the future support the beginner in pursuing the unknown area, which is easier to make new discoveries. For example, Albert Einstein published three theoretical papers of central importance to the development of 20th-century physics when he was only 26. Both the photoelectric effect and the special theory of relativity are significant discoveries that could only be made by Einstein, the so-called beginner, rather than other experts since his theories are not based on traditional physical research method.

Nevertheless, it is easier for the expert to be more comprehensive than the beginner when they confront the problems because the expert usually has more experience and knowledge. For instance, Darwin, the British naturalist, board with a British science expedition around the world for five years. From South America to Oceania, and Africa, Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting tens of thousands of specimens for further study which are the foundation of his theories of evolution and natural selection. The influential discoveries could not be made without his enduring work to be expert on his research field.

Moreover, in some other fields of inquiry, especially the social science, sufficient knowledge accumulation and broad vision are more required to make prominent discoveries. For example, Montesquieu, the great French thinker, who finished his book "the spirit of laws" which advocated that the government power should be divided into three branches called the "separation of powers", after he traveled such many countries for studying law, history, philosophy and physical science as in Austria, Hungary, Italia, Germany, Holland and England. It took him more than 20 years to finish this monumental work, during which he accumulated a mount of experience and became expert on this field.

To sum up, either the beginner or the expert could make important discoveries as long as they have aspiration and really hard working to pursue their careers. As for who is more likely to make discoveries, that would be depended on multiple factors, such as ability, experience, aspiration, and the field of inquiry they work in.