DISCOVERY VIS-À-VIS INVENTION

 FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 

DISCOVERY VIS-À-VIS INVENTION

 

It’s common knowledge that while an invention is a new thing created or made, a discovery is finding or bringing one already in existence to the fore. The famous quote of William Ramsay explains this in the following words, “There is a difference between discovery and invention. A discovery brings to light what existed before, but was not known. An invention is the contrivance of something that did not exist before.”

 

Need is the mother of invention. While discovery and invention are like the two sides of a coin, innovation and invention are twins.

 

While discovery and invention may seem synonymous, each holds a distinct position in the realm of new arrivals. Discovery refers to uncovering pre-existing truths or phenomena. It's the act of bringing forth what already exists in nature like Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) discovering 'Americas' which he called a ‘New World’ in 1492, or, Sir Isaac Newton unraveling the secrets of the Law of Gravity. On the other hand, invention entails creating something entirely new, borne out of human intellect and ingenuity - think of Edison's invention of the electric bulb or the Wright brothers' creation of the airplane. In other words, a discovery reveals the marvels that nature hides, while the invention is the making of marvels the world has never seen before.

 

The main differences veer around the nature of knowledge, the role of human ingenuity, and its impact on progress and advancements in society. While creativity is thinking up new ideas, innovation is making new things.

 

Some other examples of discovery are - the planet Neptune discovered by astronomers, the structure of DNA discovered by Watson and Crick, and the existence of dinosaurs discovered through fossil evidence, among others. There is no need to give examples of innovation, as the entire ever-changing world is full of inventions from top to bottom in all facets and walks of life throughout the eons-long human journey from days immemorial.

 

An invention is a new product, process, or design offering easy, speedy, and hassle-free solutions. They can be machines, materials, and the like - examples - The Telescope, Wheel, Printing Press, Automobiles, Telephone, Silicon Chips, et al. Unlike discoveries, inventions can be patented in recognition and protection of the rights of the inventor(s) over their inventions. 

 

What were mere wishful dreams in the past have become reality today and the trend will continue to delight the world, thanks to the never-ending invention and discovery galore.

 

Vision-correcting eyeglasses are a wonderful invention. How nicely the spectacles perfectly rest on the ear-walls for clear vision through the glasses! Is it the ingenuity of the man to have nicely designed the spectacles that way, or God has forethoughtfully designed the human nose to accommodate it. A mind-boggling question indeed! 

 

In a school classroom, the teacher started a brain-storming and thought-provoking session by asking a student to tell, which, according to him, is a great invention/discovery. Pat came the reply, “It is a bicycle, Sir”, even though others batted for other marvels. The teacher questioned the student, “When there are myriad contraptions, inventions, and discoveries, how come your choice is a bicycle?” The student confidently declared, “When you are riding on a bicycle, you sit pretty well in comfort on it and the moment you stop pedaling, you simply lose balance and fall; isn't it? That amazes me. A marvelous phenomenon, Sir?” Another boy affirmed with a nod, “Yes Sir, it’s true. The same is the case when I play with my tyre (of a bicycle/two-wheeler) by rolling it with a stick.” Both students joined together and beamingly insisted on what they felt as being ‘wondrous and inexplicably mind-blowing’.  The teacher having expected something very big to emerge as an answer, though taken aback by this seemingly weird response for a while, managed to smile it off with a gentle nod at those two boys. I have always considered bicycle and radio as the greatest inventions.

 

There is a confidence booster saying, “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

 

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.

 

The galaxy of inventions has demolished the long-held theory that things cannot be changed at all.  

 

A common yet jovial explanation of the difference between discovery and invention runs as follows. While explaining it, the father said to his son, “Well, before marriage, I was looking for my fiancé and ended up chancing upon your mother. That is discovery. Later, you were born. That was like an invention.”

 

 

R.SAMPATH

20/1/2025