In an era dominated by the idealized representation of success on social media and professional platforms, the narrative of obstacles and closed doors is often omitted.
However, in science and innovation, failure does not represent a defeat to be ashamed of, but rather constitutes the most likely option and a fundamental engine for the advancement of knowledge.
This theme is explored in the editorial “Failure is the most likely option” (DOI: 10.1039/d6mh90055k), published in the journal Materials Horizons (Royal Society of Chemistry) by Carlo Antonini,
associate professor at the Department of Materials Science at the University of Milano-Bicocca.
The work, which was also expanded upon in an extensive interview given to the newspaper Il Giorno,
stems from his experience compiling his own “CV of failures” - a transparent record of unfunded projects, rejected manuscripts, and unsuccessful attempts.
Re-evaluating a scientific career through this perspective means moving beyond the logic of a “finite game” (made only of winners and losers) to embrace that of an “infinite game,” grounded in resilience, continuous learning, and adaptability.
From the natural selection of ideas to the search for advanced technological solutions, such as sustainable replacements for PFAS (one of Antonini's group research topics), accepting failure is key to turning critical challenges into discoveries.
As Prof. Antonini highlights, normalizing failure is a crucial educational message for younger generations, essential for shifting from feeling like "a failure" to recognizing that one has simply "failed an attempt."