Thomas kuhn

Thomas Kuhn: July 18, 1922-July 17, 1996

  • The Copernican Revolution

    In his first book, Kuhn studied the development of the heliocentric theory of the solar system. In this book, Kuhn argues that the Ptolemaic system provides a broad appeal to the solar system then that of a simply astronomical system. This broad appeal made it difficult for ideas of other systems to be introduced. This work also noted the discoveries that Newton produced and how they were not an accepted theory during his lifetime.
  • The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    Thomas Kuhn's, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is considered to be the most influential work of both history and philosophy that was written in the 20th century. This concept argued that scientific research and thought are considered as paradigms. Scientists accept a prevailing paradigm in the hopes of trying to expand the current theory. Kuhn also stated that the shift alters the fundamental concepts of the underlying research which in turn inspires a new set of standards.
  • The Essential Tension

    This essay emphasized the importance of tradition in the field of science. Kuhn believes that scientific change shares a common concept with that of a gestalt switch. Meaning that the advancement of science is just a matter of an addition to knowledge but also the correction of mistakes past theories made. In order to better understand how the change from the Aristotelian theory to the Galilean occurred he tried to understand the Aristotelian thought process.
  • Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity

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    This book is devoted to the years that quantum theory took the shape of Max Planck's thought process. Kuhn dissects his views and uncovers the different inconsistencies, obscure points, and misleading statements. Kuhn also give a very detailed analysis of the different scientific works that have been associated with the black-body radiation study. This proving his early points that certain points can be updated to a theory.