The Force of Serendipity

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. Serendipity is a phenomenon that some might call “good fortune” or “luck”.  Serendipity is defined in Webster’s as “an aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally”.

The word, serendipity, derives from an old Persian fairy tale and its origin has been well documented. The word, serendipity, was coined by English author Horace Walpole on January 28, 1754 in a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann. In his letter, Walpole wrote “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.”

Walpole formed the word serendipity on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries .. of things which they were not in quest of ….”

Serendipity has always been present in discovery: Colombus’ discovery of America, Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, and Nobel’s discovery of dynamite, provide just a few examples of the serendipity phenomenon. Silly Putty and Teflon were accidental products that have been attributed to the force of serendipity…not some lucky roll of the dice.

While some scientists and inventors are reluctant to admit accidental discoveries, others openly admit that accidental discoveries occur. The truth is, serendipity has proven to be a major component of scientific discoveries and inventions.

In the 1930s, Walter Cannon of Harvard Medical School used the term “serendipity” to refer to the phenomenon of accidental discovery in scientific research.

Then in March 1946, Robert K. Merton authored a book on “serendipity”. In his book, he discussed the “serendipity pattern” in empirical research, “of observing an unanticipated, anomalous, and strategic datum, which becomes the occasion for developing a new theory.”

Does serendipity occur by chance? Is serendipity created at random? Or is serendipity created by some type of ordered process that yields an unexpected but worthwhile result?

Louis Pasteur, the French scientist and the founder of microbiology, has said that “in the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” Pasteur’s viewpoint is certainly a valid one, so it is not surprising to learn that the definition of serendipity has evolved through the years. The more contemporary meaning of serendipity has removed much of the randomness once associated with the term. Now, the meaning of serendipity is used to describe a happy blend of wisdom and luck by which something is discovered not quite by accident.

Being a quilter with a scientific and analytical background, I know how my original quilt designs were created. Over the past 30 years, much of what I know about math or what I have observed has become the catalyst for my quilt work.

Along the way, I learned how geometrics could affect design. How did that happen? I furthered some of my designs from accidental discoveries, too. Some of those designs involved transparencies and geometric bisections. How did that happen? Were these the result of a serendipity phenomenon?

Inspiration comes in a variety of flavors, and like many others, I am fortunate when inspiration strikes. Admittedly, my eyes are constantly wandering, looking for that spark, that impetus for the creative process to occur. I am always on-the-hunt — looking and analyzing, trying to keep myself and my mind’s eye challenged and at-the-ready for that next spark of inspiration. But the question remains: how did that inspiration occur?

Occasionally, a design will appear before me. How did that happen? And when some particular design worked out particularly well, I wonder if this is experience or serendipity? Just this week, an architectural design was visible as I watched a televised portion of a Senate hearing. This design was very much in parallel with a quilt I recently made and wanted to create into a series. I have already sketched that design and made notes on how to proceed. Was that design an inspiration, or was it the serendipity phenomenon?

I believe that the force of serendipity is present in much of our creative discoveries.  I also believe serendipity can influence and affect our discoveries. I have learned the creative process involves keen observation. I welcome the force of serendipity and will continue to allow serendipity to influence and guide my own creative process.

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Sources:
The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science by Robert K. Merton and Elinor Barber

Webster’s New World Dictionary

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendipity