Chance Or Planning

Chance or Planning


Maureen C. Lett

HSS 208-Dr. O'Hara

April 17, 1996


Intelligence and planning are necessary factors in scientific research, however

chance and luck are also important and somewhat necessary factors.  The

Autobiography of Charles Darwin and the memoir, The Double Helix, written by

James Watson, prove this assertion.  Charles Darwin, James Watson and Francis

Crick were all intelligent men that planned their experiments, however without

chance and luck their success and scientific achievement would not be as great.


Intelligence and planning are important in scientific discovery, but are not

always the dominating forces that drive scientific research.  Such is the case

with Charles Darwin, James Watson and Francis Crick.  All three of these men

were extremely intellectual, but their intellect only contributed partially to

their success.  Intellect and planning, combined with chance and luck

contributed to their overall success.


People take chances on a daily basis.  If you actually stop and think about it,

life is one big game of chance.  It is by chance that we are born, that we

continue to survive, and that we will eventually die.  Some people feel that

this cycle occurs do to the will of God, others, like Charles Darwin believe

that it happens based on chance or natural selection.  Whatever you believe or

disbelieve, life cannot be planned.   No matter how hard a person attempts to

"plan" their path in life, it is by chance and luck where that path takes us.


Darwin's career was also based on chance, not planning.  Darwin never planned to

become a scientist or the father of natural selection.  It was by pure chance

that he obtained the job on the voyage of the Beagle, which started  his career.

Darwin stated about this voyage that, "The voyage of the Beagle has been the by

far the most important event in my life and has determined my whole career. . ."

(Darwin, p.76)  Darwin had not planned to take the trip on the Beagle, he

obtained the opportunity by mere chance.  One can attempt to "plan" for a job or

career, but chance and luck are the major factors which allow for success.

Although Darwin's intellect played a role in obtaining the position, chance and

luck were the major factors.


Many scientists suffer great strokes of luck.   Two other scientists that did

not "plan" their success were James Watson and Francis Crick.  These two men

were not great planners of scientific research, but through chance and luck they

obtained their scientific goal.  Watson and Crick discovered the structure of

DNA and its double helix.  Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling

were other scientists that were extremely close to discovering the structure of

DNA at the same time as Watson and Crick.  They all had  basically the same

information, however Watson and Crick, due to chance and luck finished the race

first, but not very far ahead of their competitors.  Watson and Crick admit that

the race to find the structure of DNA was close, however their luck or chance

contributed tremendously to their achievement.  Watson and Crick, much like

Darwin achieved their "greatness" due to mere chance, not planning.


Watson and Crick were very fortunate that their chance or good stroke of luck

did not run out.  They were lucky that they conceived the notion to make a three

dimensional model of the helix.  They were also lucky that death did not strike

either of them.  Crick states, in the book The Double Helix, that, "If Watson

had been kiThis is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Electronic References. Please register below now!


Get This Full Article After Registration



When you subscribe to Electronic References, you get complete access to the meta-collection of full text articles and papers written by researchers and students spanning the last 5 years. For $19.95 a month, you will receive unlimited access and the ability to expand your research opportunities and knowledge.

This subscription package includes:

24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week unlimited access on any computer with Internet access
Complete access to all 60,000 articles, essays, and research papers
Ability to view, save, print and download any document you find
Ability to browse through perfectly arranged catalog of articles
Superior search and relevancy ranking techniques using our optimalized search engine
Instant access to the online database after registration


You can pay by credit card or checking account. You get instant access after registration:




1 Month ($ 19.95)
3 Months ($ 29.95)
6 Months ($ 39.95)





You will be billed $19.95 every 30 days or $29.95 every 90 days (recurring billing) starting on the day you subscribe.

Your credit card or checking account will automatically be renewed for your convenience until you cancel.