Discovery

In "The Paradox of Authenticity," the topic of discovery was thoroughly discussed. Discovery is best defined by its contrast with invention.  To discover something is to suggest that the outcome resulted from a complex interplay between a person and the constraints imposed by their environment.  That is, the process of discovery admits the relevance of the natural (and uncontrollable) world, whereas the idea of invention minimizes this relevance. It is commonly said that scientists make discoveries, and engineers invent things.  While there are obvious reasons for the distinction, the gap is not as wide as it would seem.  Engineers may have more options available to them in their process of discovery, but they are still constrained; the engineer that says he has discovered a way to solve a problem is more honest than the engineer who says he has invented a useful process. This conception of discovery does not deny our own relevance either.  To discover something is not to happen upon that thing by luck.  It is an active process, one that deeply involves the discoverer.  It can’t be stressed enough that discovery (opposed to invention) does not eliminate or in any way diminish the individual’s contribution to the process.  As Bugbee puts it: 
“…capacity for true response cannot be defined in terms of the resources at our disposal, even though the availability of our resources to ourselves, and the very richness of the resources at our disposal, may be intimately proportional to the truth or falsity of our mode of commitment.”
Discovery, then, is our interaction with the world in a way that recognizes and appreciates the constraints of that world.  It is a process that involves our personal resources of knowledge and creativity, with the burdens of reality.  When we are discovering, we cannot do what we want and expect success. 




Below are photos of the beautiful nature trails that Cincinnati Rowe Nature Center, a place I discovered one weekend with my family.  My interaction with the incredible scenery that day thoroughly cemented my appreciation for nature.