Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

025 Clarke’s Laws

Three maxims that offer insights into the nature of innovation.

Arthur C. Clarke proposed three laws in his writings about the future, all of which regard the difficulty of distinguishing the possible from the impossible. The three laws can serve as useful heuristics for those engaged in innovative design and development.1

1. When distinguished scientists state that something is possible, they are almost certainly right. When they state that something is impossible, they are very probably wrong.2

   Clarke’s first law recognizes that experienced scientists have a good understanding of known phenomena and existing technologies within their domains of expertise. Therefore, when they claim a thing to be possible, they are usually ...