Thomas Kuhn's Timeline

By Keuna Turner

  • Birth

    Thomas Samuel Kuhn was born on July 18, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He would go on to become a renowned philosopher of science (K Brad Wray 4).
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    Life of Thomas Kuhn

    Thomas S. Kuhn (1922-1996) was an American philosopher of science whose life was marked by significant contributions to the field of the philosophy of science (K Brad Wray 8).

  • Bachelor of Science, Physics

    Thomas S. Kuhn graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Science in physics. His education led him to make significant contributions to the philosophy of science, particularly through his groundbreaking work on paradigm shifts and scientific revolutions (Bird 2).
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    Teaching Fellowship at Harvard

    Thomas serves as a teaching fellow at Harvard University. The teaching experience allowed him to engage with students and further develop his understanding of the subjects he would later explore in his academic career (K Brad Wray 13).

  • Completes Ph.D. in Physics

    Thomas completed his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard with a thesis on the history of the concept of energy in physics. (Bird 35)

  • The Copernican Revolution

    Thomas published "The Copernican Revolution," a groundbreaking and influential book that examines the transition from the Ptolemaic to the Copernican worldview in the history of science (Bird 2).

  • The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    Thomas published "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions," his most famous work, which introduced the concept of paradigm shifts. (The Living Philosophy 2021)

  • Professor of Philosophy

    Thomas became a professor of philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (K Brad Wray 14).

  • The Essential Tension

    Thomas published "The Essential Tension," further expanding his ideas about the nature of scientific change and the role of anomalies in scientific development.
    (The Living Philosophy 2021)
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    President of APA

    Kuhn served as the president of the American Philosophical Association (K Brad Wray 14).

  • George Sarton Medal

    Thomas received the George Sarton Medal for his lifetime of scholarly achievement in the history and philosophy of science. (The Living Philosophy 2021)

  • Death

    Thomas Kuhn passed away on June 17 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, leaving a profound impact on the philosophy of science (K Brad Wray 8).