Theories

The Theories of Thomas S . Kuhn

Thomas Samuel Kuhn (1992-1996 , an American natural scientist and contemporary philosopher who contributed in the evolution of science principles , has contributed much in the history of and issues on science , culture , and policy in the academic , political , and business fields . Kuhn is popular with his work , The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (SSR ) which was published in 1962 and he introduced the terms paradigm ' paradigm change ' and paradigm shift ' that have been (Nickles , 2003

Kuhn 's SSR provides his antithetical views in the philosophy of science

br in which , like Imre Lakatos and Paul Feyerabend , Kuhn emphasized the role and nature of rationality ' in the processes of science . Kuhn contends that science operates as a social structure rather than as an impersonal entity advancing toward epistemological commitment (Mackie 1998 ,

. 25 . He contradicts the concept of logical positivism which states that scientists choose between competing theories in a purely rational fashion (Philosophy of Science , 2004 . Like William Whewell Kuhn denies the overly systematic approach to science or the scientific method as the framework for inquiry (Prosise , Miller Mills , 1996 Mackie , 1998 Roberts , 2000 Nickles , 2003 . In SSR , Kuhn presented issues on the nature of and the role of community in scientific development . Thus , paradigm depends on the community to which a practitioner belongs (Roberts , 2000 . He interprets the history of science based on the development of paradigms ' which are not just simple theories but also accepted examples of actual scientific practice . [that] provide models from which spring particular coherent traditions of scientific research (Kuhn 1970 , 4 , 10 . Paradigm functions as a focal point for commitment and consensus of the scientific community on what constitutes normal science . [It] offers model problems and model solutions to scientists , dependent upon which texts , schools , etc . contribute to their scientific background (Roberts , 2000 ,

. 59 . In other words , paradigms provide new information about the world and people 's behavior . Kuhn argues that scientific thought advances through intellectually violent revolutions or paradigm shifts that took place when the existing assumptions underlying scientific thought were found wanting , and a new , more valid series of assumptions was advanced to replace them (Copulos , 2001 ,

br 1 . However , it is expected that this change will only be realized with drastic opposition . Observation and experience can and must drastically restrict the range of admissible scientific belief , else there would be no science . But they cannot alone determine a particular body of such belief . An apparently arbitrary element compounded of personal and historical accident , is always a formative ingredient of the beliefs espoused by a given scientific community at a given time (Kunt , 1970 ,

. 4 . This asserts Kuhn 's statement the evolution of science is characterized by alternating periods of normal ' and revolutionary ' scientific activity , with the periods of normal science being far more common (Mackie , 1998 ,

. 27 . For instance , a paradigm shift can be seen in the practice of medicine since alternative medicine has been discovered to be also a promising way of treating diseases...