'It is more important to discover new ways of thinking about what is already known than to discover new data or facts'. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Albert Einstein said: “If humanity is to survive, we will need a fundamentally new way of thinking.” This new way of thinking should build on pre-existing knowledge. This pre-existing knowledge is necessary because it is the catalyst that pushes the human race forward, making us want to discover more. Trying to discover completely new knowledge would not produce the same results. Basing your research on what you already know allows you to compare the new data you have collected with the old data you already have. If you discover something new you will have nothing to compare it to. This doesn't allow you the luxury of seeing if what you discovered was an improvement. This essay will examine how important it is to discover new ways of thinking about prior knowledge rather than discovering new facts. I believe that using prior knowledge to drive discovery is much more important than trying to discover new data or facts. Medicine is an area that constantly tries to use previous knowledge to discover new things. Take HeLa cells for example. The initial discovery of these cells occurred in 1951. These cells came from a black woman named Henrietta Lacks. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The doctor took a segment of his tumor and sent it to Dr. George Otto Gray, who was the first scientist to successfully grow human cells in a culture. These cells would be used in research for cloning, polio vaccine, genetic mapping and virtual fertilization. These cells were important to science because no scientist had an endless supply of cells... middle of paper... nor could he be influenced by finding something new. In some cases it can lead to improvement, but in other cases it can cause a lot of problems. Works Cited Zielinski, Sarah. “Smithsonian.com.” Smithsonian magazine. January 22, 2010. Web. February 27, 2012. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Henrietta-Lacks-Immortal-Cells.htmlFreeman, David H. “The Triumph of New-Age Medicine.” The Atlantic. 2011. Network. February 27, 2012. "The Big Bang." PBS. PBS. Network. February 27, 2012. "The Steady State Theory." PBS. PBS. Network. 27 February 2012..."Plato's cave." My Webspace Files. Network. February 27. 2012. .