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Early Life and Influence
Thomas Samuel Kuhn was born on the 18th of July 1922 in Cincinnati Ohio. Kuhn obtained his Bachelors of Science in physics from Harvard in 1943. He obtained his Masters of Science in 1946 and his Doctorate in physics from Harvard in 1949. He credited his early years at Harvard helped shift his studies from physics to philosophy in science and history. Kuhn passed away on the 17th of June, 1996 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. -
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions first edition was published in 1962 by Thomas Kuhn. This publication is held as the landmark event in philosophy, history, and sociology of science. Kuhn argued that the current scientific progress that was being viewed as a slow linear progression was incorrect. That science is not as simple progress by stages of neutral observations. His main point was that science is characterized by paradigms. -
Paradigms
A paradigm is a shift or a change in thinking away from the typical norm. These norms are considered the set standard of a certain way to observe or think in a certain area. Paradigms are only considered or accepted until an anomaly can not be ignored. -
Kuhn's Cycle Continued
The third phase is the crisis stage. This is when a paradigm shift begins to occur. Anomalies are either more frequent, too large, or significantly contradict the original theory. Several theories are brought up and will compete against each other and the original theory. The last phase is the revolution stage. Over time a new paradigm will be accepted and the original will be rejected. The new paradigm will better explain the observations but will be accepted based off physiological reasons. -
Published Works
Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. The University of Chicago Press, 2015. Kuhn, Thomas Samuel. The Essential Tension: Selected Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change. The Univ. of Chicago P., 1977. Kuhn, Thomas Samuel. Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity: 1894-1912: With an Afterword. University of Chicago Press, 1987. -
Citations
Mcleod, Saul. “Thomas Kuhn - Science as a Paradigm.” Thomas Kuhn Paradigm Shift - Simply Psychology, 1 May 2020, https://www.simplypsychology.org/Kuhn-Paradigm.html.
Bird, Alexander. “Thomas Kuhn.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 31 Oct. 2018, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thomas-kuhn/.
Marcum, James A. “Thomas S. Kuhn.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/kuhn-ts/.