Every new discovery is assumed at once into the sum total of knowledge, and with that ceases in a sense to be a discovery; it dissolves into the whole and disappears, and one must have a trained scientific eye even to recognize it after that.
The quote by Franz Kafka highlights the fleeting nature of discoveries in the vast realm of knowledge. Once a new finding is made, it quickly becomes part of the greater body of understanding, losing its distinctiveness. This suggests that the excitement of discovery is often temporary, as new insights seamlessly integrate into existing knowledge frameworks.
Kafka emphasizes the need for a trained perspective to appreciate these discoveries, indicating that many significant contributions can go unnoticed unless one possesses the expertise to recognize their importance. This reflects on the ongoing evolution of knowledge, where the value of a discovery is sometimes overshadowed by the continuous accumulation of information.