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Birth/Death
Thomas Kuhn was born on July 18, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He died on June 17, 1996 in Cambridge, Massachusetts from throat and lung cancer. -
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Education
In 1943, Thomas Kuhn graduated from Harvard summa cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in physics. Before pursuing his education further, he travelled to Europe and joined a theoretical group that studied radar systems for countermeasures against enemy radar. After the war ended in Europe, he returned home to complete his studies. “He gained his master’s degree in physics in 1946, and his doctorate in 1949, also in physics” (Bird). -
General de Gaulle
Kuhn arrived in liberated Paris on August 25, 1944, where he saw General de Gaulle’s convoy entering the Champs-Élysées.
Image and description retrieved from : https://www.famousscientists.org/thomas-kuhn/ -
The Copernican Revolution
In 1957, Kuhn published his first book, The Copernican Revolution. -
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962)
Thomas Kuhn was a philosopher and scientist noted for his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962). In his book, Kuhn claims there are two types of science that are the driving force for a Paradigm Shift. This is where Kuhn coined the term, Paradigm Shift. The two types of science are “Normal Science” and “Revolutionary Science”. Image retrieved from : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structure_of_Scientific_Revolutions -
Paradigm Shift - Normal Science and Revolutionary Science
The “Normal Science” phase resolves anomalies amongst scientists and makes incremental changes to science. The next phase is the “Model Crisis”. In a crisis, scientists will do anything and engage in discussion for resolution. When new ideas begin to emerge, a “Model Revolution” takes place for old, traditional ways of thinking to be displaced by a revolution. The Paradigm Shift happens when a dynamic change in scientific thought where new ways of thinking replace the old ways. -
Incommensurability
Thomas Kuhn’s other notable works through the concept of Incommensurability is also explained in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Incommensurability describes the idea that two paradigms in a field cannot be comparable to each other. -
Sources
Bird, A. (2018, October 31). Thomas Kuhn. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thomas-kuhn/ Godfrey-Smith, P. Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. University of Chicago Press, 2003. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=nlebk&AN=324622&site=ehost-live&scope=site. -
Sources cont'd
Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. The Univ. of Chicago Press. "Thomas Kuhn." Famous Scientists. famousscientists.org. 12 Jun. 2017. Web. 7/5/2020
<www.famousscientists.org/thomas-kuhn/>.
