“Those who do not know the torment of the unknown cannot have
the joy of discovery.” Last week, we took in some timeless
vintage wisdom on the role of serendipity and chance-opportunism
in creativity and scientific discovery, culled from the 1957 gem
The Art of Scientific Investigation (public library; public
domain) by Cambridge University animal pathology professor W. I.
B. Beveridge — a brilliant treatise on creativity in science
and, by extension, in all endeavors of the mind. Beveridge
constructs what’s essentially a florilegium of quotes by famous
scientists and case studies of watershed discoveries to
synthesize insights on what makes successful science — and
successful creative thinking in general, exploring subjects like
serendipity, intuition, and imagination to reveal the habits of
mind that produce good ideas. Beveridge cites philosopher,
psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey‘s seminal 1933
book, How We Think, outlining Dewey’s model for conscious
thinking: First we become aware of the