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Thomas Kuhn, the esteemed philosopher of science, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 18, 1922, as the first of two children to Samuel L. and Minette Kuhn. -
Kuhn commenced his early education at the progressive Lincoln School in Manhattan.
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At Harvard College, Kuhn took a yearlong philosophy course in his first year.
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Thomas Kuhn's Harvard College Graduation: Summa Cum Laude with an S.B.
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Kuhn returned to Harvard for his graduate studies, focusing on physics.
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Thomas Kuhn passed the general examinations and received his master's degree in physics.
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Harvard awarded Kuhn a doctorate in physics.
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The trustee of Lowell Institute, Ralph Lowell, invites Kuhn to deliver the 1951 lectures. In these lectures, Kuhn outlined a conception of science in contrast to the traditional philosophy of science’s conception in which facts are slowly accumulated and stockpiled in textbooks.
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Kuhn taught a science class for undergraduates in the humanities as part of the General Education in Science curriculum developed by Harvard President James B. Conant.
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Harvard denied Kuhn's tenure because the tenure committee felt his book on the Copernican revolution was too popular in its approach and analysis.
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Kuhn taught at the University of California, Berkeley, in both the philosophy and history departments.
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Berkeley elevated Kuhn to the position of associate professor and awarded him tenure.
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Beginning in the fall of 1958, he spent a year as a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, California.
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"Structure" Published as Final Monograph in Neurath’s International Encyclopedia of Unified Science, Volume Two
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Princeton University invited Kuhn to join its faculty, leading to his departure from Berkeley.
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Kuhn Participated in an International Colloquium on the Philosophy of Science at Bedford College, London
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He became the program director for the History and Philosophy of Science program at Princeton University
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Princeton University selected Thomas Kuhn for the Moses Taylor Pyne Professor of History position.
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Kuhn also received the Howard T. Behrman Award for outstanding accomplishment in the humanities.
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At M.I.T., he took a linguistic turn in his thinking, reflecting on his new environment, which had a major impact on his subsequent work, especially on the incommensurability thesis.
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Kuhn shifted from a historical approach to the philosophy of science, centered on the paradigm concept, to an evolutionary perspective, focusing on the notion of lexicon.
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Society bestowed upon Kuhn the highest honor, the Sarton Medal.
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Hempel dubbed a conference at MIT a "Kuhnfest" to celebrate Kuhn's contributions. The Sloan Foundation supported it, and Paul Horwich and Judith Thomson arranged it. Among the speakers were Jed Buchwald, Nancy Cartwright, John Earman, Michael Friedman, Ian Hacking, John Heilbron, Ernan McMullin, N.M. Swerdlow, and Norton Wise. The papers presented at the conference showcased Kuhn's influence on science's history and philosophy.
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In 1991, Kuhn concluded his teaching career and assumed the title of emeritus professor at MIT.
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During Kuhn’s career, he received numerous awards and accolades. He received honorary degrees from around a dozen academic institutions, such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the University of Padua, and the University of Notre Dame. Thomas S. Kuhn passed away in Cambridge, Massachusetts, following a two-year battle with throat and bronchial cancer.