There’s a “Frank & Ernest” comic strip showing a chick breaking out of its shell, looking around, and saying, “Oh, wow! Paradigm shift!” Blame the late Thomas Kuhn. Few indeed are the philosophers or historians influential enough to make it into the funny papers, but Kuhn is one.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is indeed a paradigmatic work in the history of science. Kuhn’s use of terms such as “paradigm shift” and “normal science,” his ideas of how scientists move from disdain through doubt to acceptance of a new theory, his stress on social and psychological factors in science–all have had profound effects on historians, scientists, philosophers, critics, writers, business gurus, and even the cartoonist in the street.
Some scientists (such as Steven Weinberg and Ernst Mayr) are profoundly irritated by Kuhn, especially by the doubts he casts–or the way his work has been used to cast doubt–on the idea of scientific progress. Yet it has been said that the acceptance of plate tectonics in the 1960s, for instance, was sped by geologists’ reluctance to be on the downside of a paradigm shift. Even Weinberg has said that “Structure has had a wider influence than any other book on the history of science.” As one of Kuhn’s obituaries noted, “We all live in a post-Kuhnian age.” –Mary Ellen Curtin
Customer Reviews
Book review:
The best book if one wants to learn about the history of science and theory. A difficult read but worth every sentence. Profound and foundational. Must read for all doctoral students!!
Structur of Scientific Revolutions:
Thomas Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions” is a must read for anyone studying the events at which a scientific theory no longer answers all the new observations — Newton’s laws of motion and Einstein’s of gravity are often cited as classical examples — and a new set of paradigms is developed. Unfortunately I lost the copy I had when taking a course in History of Science, am glad that it’s still in print and to have it back in my library.
An intellectual landmark:
It is easy to assume that everyone is familiar with Kuhn’s work, but in the famously taped words of the late Richard Nixon, “That would be wrong!.” THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS is a nodal point in modern understanding of how we know what we know and how science moves forward. This slim publication may be the most frequently referrenced book in my reading experience, outside of (perhaps) the Bible (which has been around somewhat longer and which makes far less sense). The gist of Kuhn’s thesis is that Science pretends to progress through incremental additions to knowledge, carefully documented by hard working researchers, but it ain’t so. He carefully demonstrates that science actually lurches forward when an individual stumbles on a paradigm-shifting revelation — which most of the establishment denies vehemently until it is dragged kicking and shrieking into the new mode of thought. Though I don’t own a copy, and haven’t read it since a friend handed it to me in 1971 it remains vivid. I still inwardly thank Woody for that gift whenever I see Kuhn mentioned. Maybe everyone HAS read it. If so, never mind.
Rite of passage for doctoral sudents:
Part of the doctoral program experience is overcoming the obstacles set forth by detached and self-important professors. Standard practice for initiating potential intellectuals into the society of self-titled intellectuals is a gauntlet of trials and tribulations contrived by the ivory tower hegemony. I would guess that this book is rarely self-selected by the reader. More likely, most readers have found the title on the required reading list of their syllabus.
This book is a challenge to read for a casual scientist, but does follow a pattern. In particular, there seems to be “a point” on each page, with the reminder of the narrative being a digression providing anecdotal evidence of scientific breakthrough that illustrates his “point.” There are several strong outlines available on the internet that can facilitate the deciphering of the pattern. I think you would have to be a pretty hardcore science junkie on par of a jeopardy champion to get the full enjoyment of reading each digression. However, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is truly a benchmark of how we view science (agree or disagree) and is required reading for any serious scholar.
The Kuhnian notion of “normal science” consists of the creation of a dominant paradigm which subsequently governs all inquiry. Hegemony is created where ongoing research either fits within the “knowledge base” or the researcher may be ostracized. In this manner, scientific revolutions occur in a linear fashion, where one paradigm is “discovered,” entrenched, then de-constructed, subsequently making room for the next paradigm.
Obviously, in the post-modern age, we may no longer think of scientific revolutions as occurring as a succession of periods of normal science (theoretical monism). Recent researchers such as a theoretical pluralism approach where science should be comprised of competing research paradigms. In other words, the more competition, the better the progress. What makes the third edition so interesting is the epilogue written recently (1996). The original edition as published in 1962, so the epilogue is his opportunity to respond to what critics have said about his work over the past 30 years.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions:
Frankly I found this book difficult to understand. It isn’t hard to grasp the concept of the book, but forget trying to retain anything specific.
