Scientific discovery is the process of having a new idea about how something works in the natural world. The idea is usually based on extrapolation from what is already known but it can be an entirely new thought. The discovery is then tested by making observations or conducting experiments. The results may confirm or rule out the theory. If the theory is confirmed, it is published in a scientific journal and other scientists try to duplicate the result. The new knowledge can then be used to guide future investigations and help develop better technologies, medicines, or other products.
In the early 20th century, there was much philosophical discussion of how to understand and describe the discovery process. The most prominent ideas centered on whether the act of having a novel insight was a proper part of discovery and what rules could be devised to govern this kind of research. Many of the controversies about scientific discovery in the 20th century are traceable back to disagreements about these issues.
Today, there is wide agreement that the discovery process is a legitimate subject for philosophical reflection. Many scholars from fields such as psychology, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence have contributed resources that allow for a rational analysis of the cognitive mechanisms of scientific creativity. Moreover, studies of actual discoveries in history and the present continue to shape philosophical thoughts about what actually takes place during the process of discovery.
A number of philosophers have developed rich accounts of scientific inquiry, covering topics such as observation and experimentation, induction and deduction, and the nature of scientific reasoning. Some of these, such as the pragmatist tradition and the heuristic-selective account (see this issue for two papers on these approaches) have helped bring about the shift from a non-inferential to an inferential treatment of discovery.