Discuss the Claim That Some Areas of Knowledge Are Discovered and Others Are Invented
Discuss the claim that some areas of knowledge are discovered and others are invented
By
Olivia Emans
In my opinion an invention may be defined as a new device, method, or process developed from study and experimentation whereas a discovery is an act or process of finding something or somebody, or learning about something that was not known about before.
Another way of differentiating discovery and invention is in the following: A discovery is something someone else can test for himself and find out if it is true or not. An invention is something that is true (and exists) only because of the inventor. Some people would say: Invention is of our making while discovery is what we can learn from God’s making or from the nature.
There are many different areas of knowledge, from natural sciences (most notably physics, chemistry and biology), mathematics up to areas like human sciences, history, religion and arts. As a generalisation it can be said that discoveries play a bigger role in natural sciences and even in mathematics than in areas like religion or arts. Art, be it a painting or a piece of music or certain literature, is generally invented by individuals. If a piece of art would not have been invented it simply would not exist. Laws of nature like the gravitational forces are not invented. They exist on their own and can only be discovered. Such laws are generally described in mathematical terms, by using equations and mathematical models or systems.
Discoveries are unleashing something that already exists. Many discoveries only became possible because of inventions (like the microscope, the telescope, the transistor or many other machines) made before which enabled new observations. I’m not aware of any inventions contained in the human body; it simply exists and certain discoveries can be made, i.e. regarding the cell structure or how the human brain works. However, certain machines can be invented. An invention is something new that did not exist before,
By
Olivia Emans
In my opinion an invention may be defined as a new device, method, or process developed from study and experimentation whereas a discovery is an act or process of finding something or somebody, or learning about something that was not known about before.
Another way of differentiating discovery and invention is in the following: A discovery is something someone else can test for himself and find out if it is true or not. An invention is something that is true (and exists) only because of the inventor. Some people would say: Invention is of our making while discovery is what we can learn from God’s making or from the nature.
There are many different areas of knowledge, from natural sciences (most notably physics, chemistry and biology), mathematics up to areas like human sciences, history, religion and arts. As a generalisation it can be said that discoveries play a bigger role in natural sciences and even in mathematics than in areas like religion or arts. Art, be it a painting or a piece of music or certain literature, is generally invented by individuals. If a piece of art would not have been invented it simply would not exist. Laws of nature like the gravitational forces are not invented. They exist on their own and can only be discovered. Such laws are generally described in mathematical terms, by using equations and mathematical models or systems.
Discoveries are unleashing something that already exists. Many discoveries only became possible because of inventions (like the microscope, the telescope, the transistor or many other machines) made before which enabled new observations. I’m not aware of any inventions contained in the human body; it simply exists and certain discoveries can be made, i.e. regarding the cell structure or how the human brain works. However, certain machines can be invented. An invention is something new that did not exist before,