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WHO IS THOMAS KHUN?
Thomas Kuhn is arguably the most influential philosopher and historian of science in the twentieth century. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is one of his most popular works of all time that forever changed how the philosophy of science was studied. The terms ''paradigm'' and ''paradigm shift'' are coined from his work, although their popular usage usually deviates significantly from how Kuhn used these terms. -
THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was first published as a monograph in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science, then as a book by University of Chicago Press in 1962. The publication was a landmark event in the fields of history, philosophy, and sociology of science. -
WHAT IS PARADIGM SHIFT *PART 2
Kuhn challenged the then prevailing view of progress in science in which scientific progress was viewed as "development-by-accumulation" of accepted facts and theories. Kuhn argued that science does not progress via a linear accumulation of new knowledge, but undergoes periodic revolutions, also called "paradigm shifts". -
WHAT IS PARADIGM SHIFT
It is a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. According to Kuhn there are different phases of science. First, is Pre – Science. This is the phase where there is a constant debate over fundamentals. Theories being introduced have their own set of theory-dependent observations. -
WHAT IS PARADIGM SHIFT *PART 2
Second, is Normal Science. This is the phase where a paradigm is established and foundations for legitimate work is being established. In addition, anomalies during this phase are tolerated as they are confident that it can be explained in a later time. -
WHAT IS PARADIGM SHIFT *PART 3
Third is Crisis. This is where the paradigm shift occurs. This is the stage where anomalies are seen to be critical. Different competing theories are being introduced in this stage to either rectify or support an existing theory. If the anomaly in the existing theory is resolved, normal science continues but if it is not resolved that is where scientific revolution occurs. -
WHAT IS PARADIGM SHIFT *PART 4
Lastly is revolution. In this stage a new paradigm that better the observations and offers a model that is closer to the objective. It is believed to be incommensurable. -
CONCLUSION
Thomas Kuhn without a doubt is one of the most influential philosophers. His view of philosophy of science left a big impact to society. His works are now used and cited by different philosophers of both the old and new times.