Thomas Kuhn
Also known as Thomas S. Kuhn, Thomas Samuel Kuhn
American historian and philosopher of science (1922 to 1996) who popularised the paradigm shift.
At a glance
Main ideas
Normal science, Anomalies and crisis, Paradigm shifts …
See all 5Criticism
Irrational theory choice, The 1965 London symposium
See all 2Books to start with
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, The Copernican Revolution, The Essential Tension …
See all 4Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Kuhn trained as a physicist, then moved to the history and philosophy of science.
- His 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions argued that science does not only advance by steady accumulation.
- Long periods of normal science within a paradigm are broken by revolutions, when a new paradigm replaces the old.
- He held that rival paradigms are often incommensurable, which led critics to call his view relativist, a charge he denied.
Why it matters
- His book made "paradigm" and "paradigm shift" everyday words and is one of the most cited academic books; anyone arguing about how science changes meets him.
Key facts
- Born
- 18 Jul 1922, Cincinnati, Ohio1
- Died
- 17 Jun 19961
- Education
- BSc in physics, Harvard (1943); MSc (1946) and PhD (1949) in physics under John Van Vleck1
- Career
- Taught history of science at Harvard from 1948 to 1957; UC Berkeley, professor of history of science from 1961; Princeton from 1964; MIT from 1979 to 1991, then emeritus1
- Known for
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962); paradigm shift, normal science, incommensurability1
- Offices
- President of the History of Science Society from 1969 to 1970; president of the Philosophy of Science Association from 1989 to 19901
- Honours
- Guggenheim Fellow (1954); National Academy of Sciences (1979); George Sarton Medal (1982)1
Main ideas
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Normal science1
Most scientific work is puzzle-solving within an accepted paradigm, which makes it highly productive.
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Anomalies and crisis1
During normal science a result that does not fit is blamed on the researcher; as such anomalies build up, a field reaches crisis.
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Paradigm shifts1
A crisis can end in a revolution, in which a new paradigm takes in both the old results and the anomalies.
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Incommensurability1
Rival paradigms cannot be fully understood in each other's terms, so there is no neutral language for comparing them.
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Values, not rules1
Accuracy, consistency, scope, simplicity and fruitfulness guide theory choice, but scientists weigh them differently.
Criticism
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Irrational theory choice1
Critics such as David Stove read incommensurability as making theory choice irrational; Kuhn denied the charge of relativism.
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The 1965 London symposium2
Popper, Feyerabend, Lakatos, Toulmin and Watkins criticised the book; many essays questioned whether normal science exists.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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The Structure of Scientific Revolutions1
His best-known work: normal science, crisis and paradigm shifts.
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The Copernican Revolution1
Planetary astronomy in the development of Western thought; his first book.
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The Essential Tension1
Selected studies in scientific tradition and change.
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The Road Since Structure1
Philosophical essays from 1970 to 1993.
Connections
Links
Sources
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