About knowledge

Thomas Alva Edison when asked about the numerous failed attempts before successfully using tungsten as the filament of a bulb, seems to have replied,

I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.

Now whether he really invented the bulb or not, or even whether he really said these words or not, is not the issue.

The fact of the point is that the statement has some truth about knowledge... even when you do not know about a thing, or even end up have some wrong information, you still know something!

(However, I must add, it is not that Edison sat idle on his arm chair and fantasied... his effort, even though futile in search of the intended object, was rewarding)