Thomas kuhn

Thomas Kuhn: July 18, 1922-June 17, 1996

By chandler.hileman
  • Early Professional Life

    Early Professional Life

    Thomas Kuhn was born in 1922 and began studying physics at the age of 18. His intention was to be a civil engineer. He did succeed in this endeavor, and eventually worked as a civilian contractor who designed radar systems with the Army air Corps.
    Hufbauer, Karl. “From Student of Physics to Historian of Science: T.S. Kuhn’s Education and Early Career, 1940–1958.” Physics in Perspective, vol. 14, no. 4, SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel, 2012, pp. 427–32, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00016-012-0098-5
  • Kuhn Begins philosophy of science

    Kuhn Begins philosophy of science

    Upon the end of World War II, Kuhn shifted his interest from Physics to History of Science. His knowledge of the history of science led him to have a unique insight into the way science works, which led him to become a philosopher and a professor. Hufbauer, Karl. “From Student of Physics to Historian of Science: T.S. Kuhn’s Education and Early Career, 1940–1958.” Physics in Perspective, vol. 14, no. 4, SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel, 2012, pp. 427–32, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00016-012-0098-5
  • The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    Thomas Kuhn releases the book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions where he uses his unique knowledge of the history of science to describe paradigm shifts, and more importantly scientific revolutions. A paradigm shift is when one scientific theory is found to be obsolete and is replaced by a more accurate theory.
    Kuhn, Thomas. “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” WWW.lri.fr, University of Chicago, 1962, pp.77-78, https://www.lri.fr/~mbl/Stanford/CS477/papers/Kuhn-SSR-2ndEd.pdf.
  • The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Cont)

    The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Cont)

    Unfortunately, it is hard to describe the entire book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions using this medium, but the main theme of the book is how scientific revolution is a response to a crisis within a given field of science. A more complete synopsis can be found in this video:
    “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions- Thomas Kuhn” YouTube. Uploaded by The Living Philosophy. Uploaded 21 Nov, 2021. https://youtu.be/C99X-Ye-GB0
  • Summary of Thomas Kuhn.

    Summary of Thomas Kuhn.

    Thomas Kuhn is likely the most notable philosopher of science from the 20th century. The paradigm steps that were outlined in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions became a framework for scientific revolutions throughout history. Thomas Kuhn passed away in 1996, however his work will be ever present in the minds of scientific philosophers for years to come.