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Early Academic career (1940 – 1957)
In 1940, Thomas Kuhn was accepted to Harvard University. He graduated with honors in 1943 with a bachelor’s degree in physics. He stayed at Harvard as a graduate student, and earned his master’s degree in physics in 1946, and then his PhD in physics in 1949 concentrating in quantum mechanics and solid-state physics. Upon receiving his PhD, he was chosen to be a part of the Society of Fellows. -
Kuhn publishes The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962)
Shortly after publishing his first book, The Copernican Revolution, Thomas Kuhn left Harvard University and began teaching the history of science at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1961, he was officially named Professor of the History of Science at UC Berkeley. A year later, in 1962, Thomas Kuhn published his next book. It was titled The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, and it would ultimately become one of the most renowned philosophical texts to date. -
Thomas Kuhn moves to Princeton University, popularity grows (1964)
In 1964, Thomas Kuhn ended his term at UC Berkeley and was given the role of Professor of Philosophy and History of Science. While serving in this role, Kuhn was set to participate in a philosophical debate between himself and Paul Feyerabend, who was another famous philosopher of science. Feyerabend was ultimately unable to attend due to an illness, and philosopher John Watkins took his place. Kuhn and Watkins compared and contrasted Kuhn’s philosophy and that of Karl Poppers. -
Kuhn revises The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
In 1970, Thomas Kuhn published a second edition of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. This was due to a few reasons. Firstly, many people had criticized Kuhn for using the word “paradigm” in conflicting Ways. One of his main goals in this second edition was to clarify exactly what his use of paradigm meant. Kuhn was also accused of plagiarizing ideas from Michael Polanyi, another philosopher of science.