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Thomas Kuhn's birth
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Thomas Kuhn receives bachelors degree from Harvard.
In 1943, Thomas Kuhn graduates summa cum laude from Harvard University. He went on to receive a master's degree in physics and by 1949, achieved his doctorate in physics. His doctorate concerned an application of quantum mechanics to solid state physics. After graduation he went on to teach classes in humanities at Harvard. Bird, Alexander, "Thomas Kuhn", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2022 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) -
Kuhn Publishes his first book, "The Copernican Revolution".
In his 1957 book "The Copernican Revolution" Kuhn goes in depth about the heliocentric era. As a bit of an easter egg, if you look up the Wikipedia page for the Copernican Revolution, it defines it as the "paradigm shift from the Ptolemaic model." Ironically, the term wouldn't be defined until Kuhn wrote his most ground breaking work five years later. Kuhn Thomas S. The Copernican Revolution : Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought. Harvard University Press 1957. -
Kuhn becomes full professor at University of California, Berkeley
During Kuhn's time at Berkeley, he was introduced to the work of Paul Feyerabend. The two of them together developed a reputation of believing in wild west science, and coined terms like incommensurability. They also became known as two of Karl Popper's biggest rivals. Nola, R. (2007). Kuhn and Feyerabend. In Theories of Scientific Method: An Introduction (pp. 285-310). Acumen Publishing. -
Kuhn's "The Structure of the Scientific Revolution" is published.
In 1962, Thomas Kuhn's most ground breaking work is published. "The Structure of the Scientific Revolution" coined phrases such as incommensurability and paradigm shifts. Kuhn mapped out scientific progression as he saw it, arguing that revolutions occur through a cyclical process, not through "normal science." A breakdown can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn8cCDtVd5w
Kuhn Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press 1962. -
Death of Thomas Kuhn
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Thomas Kuhn's final book is published.
Four years after his passing, "The Road after Structure" was published. This was a three part book with a series of essays written by Kuhns. It shows how he revisits some of his previous definitions and expands upon his work in quantum theory. Kuhn Thomas S et al. The Road Since Structure : Philosophical Essays 1970-1993 with an Autobiographical Interview. University of Chicago Press 2000.