History of science. 009

Thomas Kuhn (July 18,1922-June 17,1996)

By Nathanrs123

  • The Birth of Thomas Kuhn

    The Birth of Thomas Kuhn
    Thomas Kuhn was born July 18,1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kuhn was born into an affluent family and from a young age was destined for greatness. He would become known as one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. His ideas modernized the philosophy is science as we know it today. References:
    Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Thomas S. Kuhn". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Jul. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-S-Kuhn. Accessed 4 December 2021.

  • Finishing his Doctorate

    Finishing his Doctorate
    Kuhn's PhD thesis was The Cohesive Energy of Monovalent Metals as a Function of the Atomic Quantum Defects. Leading up to obtaining his doctorate Kuhn's enthusiasm on the subject began to dwindle. His true quest for knowledge and understanding had just begun. 1949 was the year his interest in philosophy was piqued and his search for truth began. References:
    "Thomas Kuhn." Famous Scientists. famousscientists.org. 12 Jun. 2017. Web. 12/4/2021
    <www.famousscientists.org/thomas-kuhn/>.

  • Kuhn's Copernican Revolution

    Kuhn's Copernican Revolution
    In 1957, Kuhn writes his first book. Within this work he scrutinizes Copernicus and justifies his claims stating the work was no more accurate than Ptolemy's which predated him by 1,400 years. This body of work inspired much controversy in the scientific community and served as a starting point for Kuhn in the world of philosophy. References:
    1957, The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought, Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press.

  • The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
    In 1962, Kuhn's most famous work came out. This introduced the concept of paradigm shifts to the scientific community. A paradigm shift is a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions. This work would serve to cement his name into the hearts and minds of science. References:
    1962/1970a, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1970, 2nd edition, with postscript). YouTube video on Paradigm Shifts:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn8cCDtVd5w

  • Kuhn's Essay Collection

    Kuhn's Essay Collection
    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).These works expanded upon his earlier works and belief in normal science. References:
    1977a, The Essential Tension. Selected Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1978, Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity, Oxford: Clarendon Press (2nd edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

  • The Death of Thomas Kuhn

    The Death of Thomas Kuhn
    Thomas Kuhn died on June 17,1996 while working on a second philosophical monograph dealing with an evolutionary conception of scientific change and concept acquisition in developmental psychology. Thomas Kuhn died in Cambridge, Mass. Thomas Kuhn was a revolutionary philosopher that helped to catapult the philosophy of science into the new century. His legacy serves to inspire philosophers to look towards the future even today.