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Kuhn Experiences Academic Frustration
Kuhn graduated from Harvard with a degree in physics, but wanted to align himself more with philosophy. On multiple occasions, Kuhn was offered academic positions to include fellow and professor, but not in the areas he desired. He was regularly required to fulfill positions in the History of Science, rather than the Philosophy of it. -
Kuhn Publishes "The Copernican Revolution"
"The Copernican Revolution" was a summation of may lectures he had conducted throughout his academic career thus far. And it "challenged orthodox understanding of science in various ways […] this book was the first major expression of Kuhn's abiding interest in revolutionary cognitive shifts arising out of his own earlier epiphany in making sense of Aristotle and his still earlier encounter with Kant." (Nickles) -
Kuhn Publishes "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions"
With the publication of "Structure," Thomas Kuhn established the use of the word "paradigm" in its now commonly used setting. He also defined science as being "normal" but interrupted periodically by chaotic periods called "revolutions."
"A common way of describing the importance of Kuhn's book is to say that he shattered traditional myths about science […] that actual scientific behavior has little to do with traditional philosophical theories of rationality and knowledge." (Godfrey-Smith) -
Reputations Precede at Bedford College
After Rudolf Carnap solicited the publication of "Structure," Kuhn gained clout at Bedford College at the International Colloquium in the Philosophy of Science. This put him on the same playing field as "Karl Popper, Imre Lakatos, Paul Feyerabend, Stephen Toulmin, and of course, the positivists collectively, including Kuhn's new colleague, Carl Hempel." (Nickles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOGZEZ96ynI