-
Publication of "The Copernican Revolution"
In his first book, Kuhn looks at Copernicus's work in the context of Mediterranean astronomy and how it was important in the shift from one way of thinking about the world to another (Engelmann, 1957). He talks about the logical and psychological aspects of Copernican ideas and draws similarities between the 16th and 20th centuries. (Full text in assignment) -
Kuhn becomes a full professor at the University of California at Berkeley
In 1961, Kuhn became a full professor at the University of California at Berkeley, where he pursued his interest in the philosophy of science (Bird, 2018). During this time, he collaborated with colleagues and reviewed a draft of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1962. The central idea of the book is that scientific development is driven by adherence to a 'paradigm' during normal periods of science. -
The Publication of "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions"
Thomas Kuhn's book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" is widely cited as one of history's most influential scholarly works (Bird, 2018). Kuhn intended the book for philosophers (Philosophy Overdose, 2021) and introduced the concept of "paradigm." Paradigms encompass different scientific approaches and ideas, demonstrating how science is carried out and comprehended (Preston, 2008). (Full text in assignment). https://youtu.be/fV-vh9y_TQs?si=622TlHbKdY_fA4PO -
Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity, 1894–1912
Kuhn's final historical analysis focused on Planck's theory of black-body radiation and its role in the development of quantum discontinuity (Marcum, n.d.). He challenged the prevailing notion that Planck's early 1900 publications marked the transition from classical to quantum physics, arguing instead that this shift originated with the independent contributions of Einstein and Ehrenfest in 1906. (Full text in assignment)