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Birth
Kuhn was born on July 18, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, Samuel Kuhn, was a hydraulic engineer who received his education at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology [2]. -
Education
After a bit of a rough start to his education, Kuhn started his college career at Harvard in 1940. Uncertain about his major, he followed the guidance of his father and pursued physics. During his sophomore year, WWII erupted. The atrocities committed made a lasting impression on Kuhn and, unable to defend pacifism as taught to hi in early years, he became an interventionist. He eventually earned a masters degree in physics and, although he had much respect for science, he felt unfulfilled [2]. -
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Kuhn is most well-know for his influential and controversial textbook, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Kuhn emphasized the importance of the evolution of science and introduced paradigm shifts [1]. This was revolutionary not only for scientists but for philosophers, historians, and the general public. Kuhn also brought back some things that had been lost in the history of science and philosophy like positivism. For more information: https://youtu.be/L70T4pQv7P8 -
Paradigms
As a self-proclaimed "historian of science," Kuhn described a paradigm to be "universally recognized scientific achievements that for a time provide model problems and solutions to a community of practitioners [1]." A paradigm, according to Kuhn, is a collection of theories, ideas, language, and methods that act as the foundational knowledge in a particular subject. -
Death
Thomas Kuhn passed away on June 17, 1996, in his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts [2].