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The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Kuhn's seminal work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, challenged the prevailing view of science as a cumulative and objective pursuit of truth. Kuhn argued that scientific progress is not a steady accumulation of knowledge, but rather a series of paradigm shifts that replace one way of understanding the world with another. He introduced the concept of a "paradigm" as a set of shared beliefs, methods, and practices that guide scientific research within a particular field. -
Normal Science and Anomalies
Kuhn distinguished between two modes of scientific inquiry: normal science, which takes place within an established paradigm and aims to solve puzzles and extend the paradigm, and revolutionary science, which occurs during a paradigm shift and aims to replace the old paradigm with a new one. Kuhn argued that normal science is characterized by a shared commitment to the paradigm, a set of exemplars that guide research, and a puzzle-solving approach. -
The Duck-Rabbit Illustration
Kuhn's idea of incommensurability challenged the assumption that scientific theories can be compared and evaluated based on their adherence to a common set of standards. Kuhn argued that paradigms are not only different in their content, but also in their criteria for evaluating evidence, their methods of inquiry, and their underlying values. This means that scientific theories from different paradigms are not commensurable, or directly comparable. -
Post-Kuhnian Philosophy of Science
Kuhn's ideas have had a lasting impact on the philosophy of science and inspired a variety of new approaches and debates. One of the most significant developments was the rise of post-Kuhnian philosophy of science, which sought to overcome some of the limitations of Kuhn's model while retaining its insights. Post-Kuhnian philosophers of science have explored questions such as the nature of scientific progress and the role of values in science.