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Thomas Kuhn Background
Thomas Samuel Kuhn was born on July 18, 1922, in Cincinnati, OH. Kuhn was one of the most influential philosophers of science of the 20th century. His academic life started in Physics then he switched to History of Science. As his career started to develop, Kuhn settled in the Philosophy of Science department. -
The Copernican Revolution
Thomas Kuhn published his first book, the Copernican Revolution, in 1957. Kuhn provides his analysis of the Copernican Revolution. Kuhn discusses the geocentric model and the shift toward Kepler’s Law of Planetary Motion which fed into the Heliocentric theory of Nicholas Copernicus. -
Black Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity
In the 1960s, Kuhn’s historical work turned toward the early history of quantum theory, emphasizing on Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck’s Work in his book Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity. According to Kuhn, “Planck did not have in mind a genuine physical discontinuity of energies until 1908” (Bird, 2022). -
Professor Thomas Kuhn
1961Thomas Kuhn became a full professor at the University of California at Berkley where he met Ludwig Wittgenstein and Paul Feyerabend. Feyerabend and Kuhn discussed the draft of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions which was later published in 1962. -
Thomas Kuhn's biggest achievement
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was published in 1962. Kuhn’s contentious book emphasizes the development of science. According to Kuhn, normal science is used for scientific work that occurs within the framework provided by the paradigm, normal science being well organized. During scientific change, there is change within normal science that is caused by a crisis that then goes through a revolution. -
Thomas Kuhn, 1996
Thomas Kuhn was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1994 and after two years of battling, he passed away at the age of 73 on June 17, 1996. Thomas Kuhn was a remarkable man. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was the book that had the most impact on Philosophy of Science in addition to other ones he published. -
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