Cambridge 17 | Test 2 | Passage 3

Insight or evolution? 

Scientific discovery is popularly believed to result from the sheer genius of such intellectual stars as naturalist Charles Darwin and theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. Our view of such unique contributions to science often disregards the person’s prior experience and the efforts of their lesser-known predecessors. Conventional wisdom also places great weight on insight in promoting breakthrough scientific achievements, as if ideas spontaneously pop into someone’s head—fully formed and functional.

disregard (verb) [transitive]

/ˌdɪs.rɪˈɡɑːrd/

to ignore something

He told us to disregard everything we'd learned so

prior (adjective) [before noun]

existing or happening before something else, or before a particular time

The course required no prior knowledge of Spanish.

conventional wisdom (noun)

the generally accepted belief, opinion, judgment, or prediction about a particular matter

Conventional wisdom in Hollywood says that a movie can't succeed unless it stars a famous actor or actress.