| Since the time of the Sophists, those interested in the construction of knowledge have explored and debated, both in theory and in practice, what the invention process means for the inventor. First influenced by an oral culture's need for rhetorical prowess, then later, by a computerized nation's attempts to track rhetorical change as a result of a changing medium, invention has remained an essential part of the compositionist's academic conversation. Invention is irrevocably connected to culture, and through the ages invention has evolved and flexed to encompass culture and the beliefs of the researchers charting its progression. Understanding how writing invention has changed assists researchers in hypothesizing how invention will continue its evolutionary journey into the future. |
