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Birth
On July 18th, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thomas Samuel Kuhn was born. His father, Samuel Louis Kuhn, was an industrial engineer, graduated both Harvard and MIT, as well as fought in World War 1. Thomas's mother was Minette Kuhn, she was a graduate of Vassar College and heir to a wealthy New York family. -
Kuhn PhD
After completing his master's degree in Physics at Harvard in 1946, Kuhn continued his education completing his doctorate in 1949. His thesis was The Cohesive Energy of Monovalent Metals as a Function of the Atomic Quantum Defects. This in turn resulted in Kuhn being elected to the Society of Fellows at Harvard. -
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Harvard
From 1951 to 1956 Kuhn taught history and philosophy of science at Harvard. -
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Berkeley
From 1956 to 1964 Kuhn taught at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1956 Kuhn left Harvard because he had yet to be offered tenure, and Berkeley had offered him a position to be an assistant professor in both Philosophy and History Departments. -
The Copernican Revolution
While teaching at Harvard Kuhn taught undergraduate courses that delved into Aristotle's work. He quickly became perplexed from Aristotle's work. This bewilderment in turn caused Kuhn to concentrate on the history of science. All of this led up to his first book being published, The Copernican Revolution. Cosmos Magazine describes The Copernican Revolution by stating the following, "examines the development of the heliocentric theory of the solar system during the Renaissance." -
Promoted to Professor
Berkeley promoted Kuhn to a full professor of History of Science. Interesting enough Famous Scientists states, "This actually infuriated him, because he wanted to be a professor of Philosophy. In the end, however, he agreed to accept the position in History." -
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
In this book Kuhn writes about the history of science. Kuhn goes on to challenge so called "normal science." The Encyclopedia Britannica states "he argued that scientific research and thought are defined by “paradigms,” or conceptual world-views, that consist of formal theories, classic experiments, and trusted methods."
Here is a video from Leiden University that better explains Kuhn's phases of science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQPsc55zsXA -
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Princeton
From 1964 to 1979 Kuhn taught at Princeton University. -
Collection of Essays
The Encyclopedia Britannica states "Kuhn’s book revolutionized the history and philosophy of science, and his concept of paradigm shifts was extended to such disciplines as political science, economics, sociology, and even to business management. Kuhn’s later works were a collection of essays, The Essential Tension (1977), and the technical study Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity (1978)." -
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MIT
From 1979 to 1991 Kuhn taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). -
Death
On June 17, 1996, Thomas Kuhn died at the age of 73. He passed in his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For the previous two years he had been ill and battling cancer in his bronchial tubes and throat.
