I would say the reason we know what we know is because of failure. Most of the last 30 years society has been obsessed with optimism as a mechanism for success. "If you build it, they will come" pretty much sums up the western worldview since the 1980s. Failure is a harsh tutor, but also an expedient one. We know that the equations used for building bridges are correct, not because they worked, but because all the prior calculations didn't. Once we could calculate the basics well enough it was only then we could iterate and get creative. We now know what works only by learning what doesn't.
We know that communism/collectivism/socialism doesn't work. We know that the state suppressing ideas just makes them grow. We've done this time and time again because there are those of us who think they can do it differently. And initial success blinds them to harsh reality, then they seek to punish those who are deemed enemies. This is known. It happened in the time of the Romans, it happened in Maoist China (only 50 years ago, BTW). History does repeat when you try the same failed experiments over and over.
I would say the reason we know what we know is because of failure. Most of the last 30 years society has been obsessed with optimism as a mechanism for success. "If you build it, they will come" pretty much sums up the western worldview since the 1980s. Failure is a harsh tutor, but also an expedient one. We know that the equations used for building bridges are correct, not because they worked, but because all the prior calculations didn't. Once we could calculate the basics well enough it was only then we could iterate and get creative. We now know what works only by learning what doesn't.
We know that communism/collectivism/socialism doesn't work. We know that the state suppressing ideas just makes them grow. We've done this time and time again because there are those of us who think they can do it differently. And initial success blinds them to harsh reality, then they seek to punish those who are deemed enemies. This is known. It happened in the time of the Romans, it happened in Maoist China (only 50 years ago, BTW). History does repeat when you try the same failed experiments over and over.
Failure is indeed a huge part of any good feedback mechanism.