Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication

The difference between 'discoveries' and 'insights'

Q: What is the difference between 'discoveries' and 'insights' when both results for an invention?

Krishna: Let us first start with the definition of these words

Discoveries: the action or process of discovering or being discovered.

Scientific discovery is the process or product of successful scientific inquiry. Objects of discovery can be things, events, processes, causes, and properties as well as theories and hypotheses and their features (their explanatory power, for example). Most philosophical discussions of scientific discoveries focus on the generation of new hypotheses that fit or explain given data sets or allow for the derivation of testable consequences.

Discussions of scientific discovery have been intricate and complex because the term “discovery” has been used in many different ways, both to refer to the outcome and to the procedure of inquiry. In the narrowest sense, the term “discovery” refers to the purported “eureka moment” of having a new insight. In the broadest sense, “discovery” is a synonym for “successful scientific endeavour” . Some disputes about the nature of scientific discovery reflect these terminological variations.

Insights: the capacity to gain an "accurate" and deep understanding of someone or something.

This process could be preliminary without ending in a discovery in science. 'Insights' could happen as a result of your thought process, analysis of your perception in art, religion and various other fields too that might not be fact or evidence based and need not lead to discoveries in the true sense. Several religious leaders say they gain insights into the origins of the universe and its creator as a result of their meditation. How is that a discovery? Can these insights be verified or falsified like we do in science? That is why I put 'accurate' in inverted commas.

But insights in science and other subjects differ. In science we use facts and data gathered to gain insights.

In art and religion, we just use our perception about the world around us and our conditioning of our minds to some extent to gain insights.

Invention: An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition or process. The invention process is a process within an overall engineering and product development process. It may be an improvement upon a machine or product or a new process for creating an object or a result.

All insights might also not lead to inventions. Insights might lead to discoveries in science and also while insights and discoveries in science can be used to 'invent' something, in art insights can be used to 'create' new dramas, dance forms, songs, poems, stories, etc.

Are inventions in science equal to creations in art or imaginations in religion?

And do you know there is creativity in science too that leads to inventions?

One of the most primitive innate needs of humans is to understand the world around us, and then share that understanding. We need to understand because we are terrified by things that are unpredictable, that don't make sense.

Scientists do experiments over and over and over, trying to pin down some new aspect of reality. They want evidence for all discoveries and when things work and tally with universal principles they become facts and lead to inventions that actually work.

"Things that actually work (inventions) and tally with universal principles(discoveries)" need not be the culmination of all insights. They can result in creativity as in art and just imaginations in religion.

( I am a polymath, did/doing research in both science and art and therefore know these differences well )

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