Competition serves as a valuable way to discover who is best in situations where no one knows the outcome ahead of time, such as in sports or markets. It not only helps identify the best performer but also encourages all participants to strive for improvement. For someone to fully exert themselves, they need to feel challenged by their competitors. If the closest rival is far behind, there may be little motivation to push hard. For competition to be effective, there must be a gradual range of skills among participants, where each individual feels the need to keep up with others.
Competition functions like scientific experiments, revealing facts that are not known beforehand. It should not be assumed that someone knows all potential outcomes or facts before competition occurs. The process reveals skills, knowledge, and opportunities that are not available to just one person. Consequently, it’s misleading to judge competition based on expected outcomes because real results depend on the conditions in which competition takes place. Each participant's actions are uncertain until they engage in the competitive environment, making it impossible to accurately predict individual behavior or results. Overall, competition is essential for discovering useful knowledge and solutions in economics.