Cunningham's Law

Biological Parallel

Cunningham's Law states the best way to get the right answer is to post the wrong one. Biology demonstrates this through error-correction feedback loops. Immune systems use this principle: presenting an incorrect antigen (pathogen fragment) triggers a corrective response that produces precisely targeted antibodies. The wrong input generates the right output through competitive correction. Mismatch repair in DNA operates identically. When replication errors create mismatched base pairs, the mismatch itself triggers repair enzymes that identify and correct the error. The system doesn't passively wait for correct input—errors actively summon correction machinery. Plant root growth exhibits the same pattern: roots grow toward nutrients not because they sense nutrients directly, but because they grow in all directions and nutrient-deprived roots trigger stress signals that redirect growth. Wrong directions get corrected; right directions persist. Cunningham's Law works because active error-correction is more efficient than passive quality control. Waiting for perfect information costs time; posting imperfect information and letting correction emerge from competition is faster. Markets operate this way: mispriced assets trigger arbitrage that corrects prices. Evolution operates this way: mutations propose 'wrong answers'; selection corrects them. The principle emerges from information economics: errors are cheaper to generate than perfection, and correction mechanisms respond faster to active errors than passive queries.