_(cropped).jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Thomas Kuhn
Historian-philosopher of science — 'paradigm shifts' and scientific revolutions.
Overview
An American physicist-turned-historian whose Structure of Scientific Revolutions transformed how we understand science and gave the world the phrase 'paradigm shift'. Against the picture of science as steady, cumulative progress, Kuhn argued that mature science alternates between long periods of 'normal science' working within a shared paradigm and rare, disruptive 'revolutions' in which one paradigm is overthrown for another — a change so deep that rival paradigms can be 'incommensurable'.
What they supported — and why
Normal science and paradigms
SupportedMost science is 'normal science': puzzle-solving within an accepted 'paradigm' — a framework of shared theories, methods, and exemplars.
WhyA shared paradigm lets a scientific community make cumulative progress without endlessly re-arguing fundamentals.
Scientific revolutions and paradigm shifts
SupportedWhen anomalies accumulate and a paradigm fails, science undergoes a revolution in which the old framework is replaced by a new, incompatible one.
WhyDeep change comes not by gradual accumulation but by wholesale replacement of the framework, restructuring how scientists see the world.
Incommensurability
SupportedRival paradigms can be 'incommensurable' — their concepts and standards differ so much that they cannot be fully compared by neutral criteria.
WhyBecause observation and meaning are shaped by the paradigm, adherents of different paradigms partly talk past one another, and choice between them is not purely logical.
Causes championed
- A historically realistic account of science
- Understanding conceptual change
- Questioning naive ideas of progress
Issues wrestled with
- How does science actually change?
- Is scientific progress cumulative?
- Can rival theories be neutrally compared?
Hurdles faced
- Charges that his view made science 'irrational' or relativist (which he resisted)
- Endless disputes over the slippery term 'paradigm'
Works & books
1 catalogued. Status shows how much survives to today.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
SurvivesOne of the most cited academic books of the century, introducing paradigms and paradigm shifts.
Read the texts free
Their works online — Open Library catalogues 25 works & editions.
The influence network
See Thomas Kuhn in the map →Influenced by
Influenced
In their words
“Under normal conditions the research scientist is not an innovator but a solver of puzzles.”
— The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Legacy
He overturned the cumulative picture of science; 'paradigm shift' entered everyday language, and science studies grew from his work.
Follow their questions
This thinker is a stop on these paths through philosophy.
Further reading
Cross-checked against these authoritative references.