Errare humanum est, or The path to truth lies through error

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

Errare humanum est! The Latin aphorism, uttered by the great orator Marcus Seneca the Elder, is known throughout the world and means that error is the path to truth. Why does this aphorism remain relevant for centuries? We will try to answer this question.

Error is a property of regularity

To err is human. We've all heard it once. The world-famous Latin aphorism - Errare humanum est - has an analogue in Russian: "The one who does nothing is not mistaken." In personal experience, in scientific discoveries, on the scale of the entire community, error can be laid. The question is the degree of responsibility for it.

And indeed, in order for progressive development to take place, a mistake is simply necessary. What is its nature? This is an area of unenlightenment, a sphere of experiment with the limits of knowledge. If a person knows the solution to problems, it will not be difficult for him to choose the best path for the development of events. The scale is not important, it concerns both the individual and the whole society as a whole.

Nature of the error

In progressman is constantly transcending his own boundaries. That is why knowledge is so difficult for a person. It doesn't matter if it's practical (how to do something) or a process of spiritual growth. In the process of choosing, a person performs an act. He always chooses. But not always right. And the price of a mistake is different. Hence another saying: "A person punishes himself in such a way that no one else can do it."

The nature of error is hidden in the mechanism of cognition: Errare humanum est! Mistake - not knowing the best option. But it is thanks to her that new perspectives and opportunities open up. The experience of knowing is always associated with the risk of making the wrong choice, but there is no other option. An experiment is a verification of the truth of a solution, any hypotheses are confirmed empirically.

History knows many facts when repeated failure in experiments led to the discovery of a world magnitude.

Historical errors

History knows cases when a mistake was the cause of world-wide discoveries. For example, an error in the trajectory of Columbus' sea voyage gave a chance to discover America.

The erroneous principle of socialist equality, which was the basis of the Soviet state, showed an example of the strength of the ideological foundation of society.

Mistake does not always lead to truth. More often, it reveals imperfection in cognition, the limitations of our capabilities and is an incentive to search for the best option. In this sense, one can also speak of the creative power of error.

Errare humanum est! Translation of thisThe Latin expression literally sounds like this: "Mistake is inherent in human nature." Indeed, the entire path of development of a reasonable person is a movement towards one's nature, towards self-knowledge, a process of self-improvement. And the initial principle of the imperfection of its nature is the a priori recognition of an error in choosing a scenario.

Analogues of expression

In Russian verbal creativity, there are many statements that are similar in meaning, capacious in content:

• "The one who does nothing makes no mistakes".
• "Learning from mistakes".
• "A mistake is the right decision under other conditions".

Rich in content are the words of the great figures of the world, who have every right to speak of a mistake, because their contribution to the development of the human community is immeasurable:

• "Freedom is nothing if the right to make mistakes is excluded" (M. Gandhi).
• "The majority is always wrong, the truth is in the minority" (Ibsen).
• "An intelligent person not only makes mistakes, but gives others a chance" (Churchill).

All statements have the same meaning: the recognition of a mistake is a condition of human freedom, everyone has the right to do just that.

As Chesterfield said, "Fear of the possibility of error should not deter us from seeking the truth."