Have you ever had a brilliant idea, only to discover that someone else had already thought of it?
We eventually come across similarities between our ideas and those of others, if not even identical ones. But if we came up with that idea on our own without the slightest idea of the existence of something closely related, how is that possible?
This is because we are all “building” with the same materials.
The ideas and references out there are the same for everyone, and eventually, different people will curiously arrive at the same result, even if they follow a different line of reasoning. And the way in which we arrive at this result can be separated both chronologically and geographically. Someone thought of it 200 years ago, or in another part of the globe, someone just had the same idea as you last week.
Isaac Newton invented calculus in 1684. That same year, geographically distant from Newton, Gottfried Leibniz came to the same conclusion -at a time when information took months or even years to get from one continent to another.
Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, but Alfred Russell had practically the same idea at practically the same time.
Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Grey patented the telephone on the same day, just a few hours apart.
The very concept of the Personal Computer had already existed since 1945 (the MEMEX). But it wasn’t until the mid-1970s that the first personal computer became widely known.
But it’s not just with products and ideas that this could happen.
You know that actor who looks like your friend’s cousin? Or that classmate who comically reminds your former chemistry teacher?
We ourselves are the fruit of available (genetic) materials, which could end up repeating themselves from time to time.
The words Doppelgänger or Twinstrangers illustrate it: a person who you have never met before but coincidentally looks a lot like you.
And what is the common denominator between similar ideas? What makes us think the same thing as someone else and vice versa?
Normally, ideas are born out of a need, an answer to a problem, an experience that can be improved, the customization of a product, or even the birth of an innovative project. These needs guide us, leading to a solution or action that may well be the same as someone else’s.
As Steven Johnson explained in his beautiful book Where Good Ideas Come From, our connected world favors what he called Multiple Discoveries. We have more and more ideas available just a click away, and geography is no longer a problem when it comes to communicating them.
Staying connected today has become routine. We spend most of our days online, following trends, sharing our achievements, watching videos, and checking out what our colleagues are doing. And even if we don’t generate content, we are influenced by everything we see, hear, and read.
In other words, the world has become one big book, open 24/7, which we can consult whenever we need to. All we have to do is explore it in search of answers to our needs, whatever they may be.
How can you use the Multiple Discoveries concept in your work?
Have you ever experienced it before?