Edisonian approach

The Edisonian approach to invention is characterized by trial and error discovery rather than a systematic theoretical approach. An often quoted example of the Edisonian approach is the successful but protracted process Thomas Edison is reported to have used to develop a practical incandescent light bulb. Inventor Nikola Tesla is quoted as saying "[Edison's] method was inefficient in the extreme, for an immense ground had to be covered to get anything at all unless blind chance intervened and, at first, I was almost a sorry witness of his doings, knowing that just a little theory and calculation would have saved him 90 percent of the labour" (Wills I. (2019) The Edisonian Method: Trial and Error. In: Thomas Edison: Success and Innovation through Failure. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science).