-
Kuhn's Life
American Teacher, Physicist, Historian, and Philosopher, Thomas Kuhn introduced one of the most important concepts of science, the paradigm shift. -
Kuhn's Contribution to the Philosophy of Science
Thomas Kuhn was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Jewish parents. Once Kuhn was old enough to study, he recognized his great love for math and science. Kuhn attended Harvard University, receiving his bachelor’s and master’s in physics, and additionally a doctorate in the history of science (Britannica). -
Period: to
Khun as a Professor
Later, Kuhn taught classes on the history and philosophy of science at Harvard, University of California at Berkeley, Princeton, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Britannica). It was during this time, (1959-1962) Kuhn refined his philosophical approach to science. -
Khun's "Paradigm Shift Theory"
Kuhn’s influential work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, introduced Paradigm Shifts. This idea would later become Kuhn’s crowning achievement to the philosophy of science. -
What is a Paradigm Shift?
Thomas Kuhn’s background in history helped shape the Paradigm Shift he introduced. He studied how works of the early scientists and philosophers such as Aristotle, had been quite inferior in their scientific theories (Guardian).
Paradigm Shifts work in phases throughout time. As inaccurate hypotheses and observations mount, this paves the way for a new revolution in scientific thought. -
Significance of a Paradigm Shift
Paradigms are significant because they change the way in which scientists ask questions, conduct experiments, and devise new theories (Guardian). -
Thomas Kuhn's Death
With Kuhn's passing, he left behind an eternity of priceless philosophy on the structure of science as well as the impact that philosophy has on methods of the observance of the natural world. -
Thomas Kuhn's Work
Books:
The Copernican Revolution (1957) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) Essays:
The Essential Tension (1977) Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity (1978) -
References and Sources
"Thomas S. Kuhn". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 10 Jan. 2016http://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-S-Kuhn. "Thomas Kuhn: The Man Who Changed the Way the World Looked at Science." Thomas Kuhn: The Man Who Changed the Way the World Looked at Science | Science | The Guardian. N.p., 18 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/19/thomas-kuhn-structure-scientific-revolutions.
