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Thomas Kuhn: Paradigm Shift

By adalinda.ibarra

  • The accomplished life of Kuhn

    Born: July 18, 1922 and Died: June 17, 1996,
    [https://youtu.be/tasVTgZc9Gw]

  • Early life

    Early life
    Thomas Kuhn was born to an influential family and was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. He loved mathematics and was admitted into Harvard majoring in physics. Once in Harvard, WW II commenced leading Kuhn to earn his bachelor of science in 1943. In the same year Thomas joined the Radio Research Laboratory’s theoretical group where his group was tasked with devising countermeasures against enemy radar. Masters in 1946 and doctorate in 1949. His enthusiasm for physics was dwindling.

  • Thomas Kuhn’s Copernican Revolution

    In 1957, Thomas Kuhn published his first book, The Copernican Revolution, in which he scrutinized Copernicus model of the solar system. He insisted the model used by Copernicus was extremely similar to his earlier counterpart Claudius Ptolemy and was only mainstreamed for aesthetic reasons. The next year Kuhn was given tenure for the University of California at Berkeley. The same year he participated in a fellowship at Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study.

  • The Structure of Scientific Revolution

    The Structure of Scientific Revolution
    Kuhn began work on one of his most influential work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. In 1962 he released the book which explained the non-linear progression used within scientific paradigms. The term “normal science” was used in his book to reference scientific research that fell into dominant paradigms. Paradigm shifts would then only occur when adoption of a new paradigm differed to the prevalent. Kuhn was adamant that no comparison should be made between the two differing paradigms

  • Normal Science

    Normal Science: During a paradigm shift, revolutionary science takes place of the old scientific theories that have failed.The rise of new phenomenon that challenges existing theories induce paradigm shifts. The period between the revolutions is called normal science or when there is a set status quo.
    “…normal science is what produces the bricks that scientific research is forever adding to the growing stockpile of scientific knowledge.” -Thomas Kuhn
    The Road Since Structure, Chicago, 2000

  • Princeton, MIT and death

    Princeton, MIT and death
    In 1964, Kuhn became M. Taylor Pyne Professor of Philosophy and History of Science for Princeton . In 1979, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) appointed him Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosophy. He finally retired from MIT at the age of sixty-nine in 1991 and died five years later at the age of seventy-three from cancer. In 2000, The Road Since Structure was published; the book was assembled with Kuhn’s input before his passing in 1996.

  • Citation

    Kuhn, Thomas S. The Road since Structure: Philosophical Essays, 1970-1993, with an Autobiographical Interview. Edited by James Conant and John Haugeland, Univ. of Chicago Press, 2000. Famous Scientists. "Thomas Kuhn" famousscientists.org. 12 Jun. 2017, www.famousscientists.org/thomas-kuhn OUP Philosophy. “Thomas Kuhn and the Paradigm Shift - Philosopher of the Month.” OUPblog, 14 Nov. 2019, blog.oup.com/2019/11/thomas-kuhn-paradigm-shift-philosopher-of-the-month/.