Kuhn

Thomas Kuhn 1922 - 1996

By joshmullins11

  • Kuhn's Origins

    Thomas Kuhn went to Harvard like his dad and uncle did. Following his dad’s advice, he decided to study physics. After leaving Harvard he would get his Master’s and eventually receive his doctorate, but still be unsatisfied. While trying to reconcile Newtonian physics with the physics of Aristotle he found his passion. Kuhn had to step in to the mind of Aristotle and this helped him realize Philosophy was the search for truth.

  • Lowell lectures

    Kuhn was invited to give a talk at the Lowell lectures. Here he put forth the idea that science did not slowly accumulate knowledge as was the currently held belief. He gave the example in history of Galileo rejecting Aristotle’s ideas. What Kuhn proposed was that scientist work under an agreed upon framework until that framework no longer works and a revolution of ideas happens.

  • The Copernican Revolution

    He furthered his idea with The Copernican Revolution. Kuhn suggested that a scientist had commitments to the scientific community as well as the scientist’s religious views. This was opposite to modern views that said science was separate of personal views.

  • Structures of Scientific Revolution

    Kuhn had his book Structures published. This was a culmination of his view points on how science is done in history. What he argued was that normal science is done under the current framework. Eventually science advances beyond the current framework and a paradigm shift happens.

  • Paradigm Shift

    A paradigm shift is a change in framework that ultimately disagrees with the old framework. It is not building on the preexisting ideas. This was defined as extraordinary science. It was science beyond the currently held beliefs of the scientific community, and it would become the new normal science.

  • Works Cited and Video

    Kuhn, T. S. The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1957 Kuhn, T. S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 1962 https://youtu.be/3cp6pEzx3uw