Explanation
Invention is not inspiration without method. It opens fields of search, gathers material, and then decides what suits the subject, audience, and situation. Discovery and judgment remain coupled: a rich possibility becomes a viable argument only through selection.
Example
For the question of atlas navigation, definition, comparison, cause, consequence, and counterexample are opened in turn as places of search.
Counterexample
An argument occurred to me spontaneously. A single idea does not yet show an ordered process of invention.
Distinction
Distinguish it from creation ex nihilo: invention discovers within available material and search orders. Distinguish it from dispositio: invention finds material; dispositio arranges the selected discourse.
Effect on thought and perception
Turns perplexity into a structured field of possibilities and guards against fixation on the first idea.
Resonance
Several still-quiet possibilities become audible before one becomes the main path.
Etymology
Latin inventio, invenire · to find; Greek heuresis
Provenance
Oxford glossary → HWRh cross-check where available → movement-of-thought analysis → ATLAS 235
Cite this entry
Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Invention“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-OXD-0004. ATLAS 251, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-OXD-0004The address remains stable; editorial content may evolve. A verified modification date per entry is not yet available. Include your access date for precise references.