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Philosophy – University Taster
6.4 Thomas Kuhn and Paradigm Shifts
Thomas Kuhn (1922–1996) was an American philosopher and historian who revolutionised how we think about scientific progress. He introduced the idea of paradigmA typical example, model, or pattern of something. shifts, which became a key concept in our understanding of how Science and knowledge evolve over time.
What Is a Paradigm?
The first and most obvious question to ask is: What is a paradigm? A paradigm is a framework of theories, methods, and assumptions that guide scientific research.
Example
For example, in the field of astronomy, the Earth-centred model (Ptolemaic) was the presiding paradigm before being replaced by the Sun-centred model (Copernican). In other words, there was a change in how we view the world, where the paradigm shifted from seeing the universe with the Earth at the centre to seeing the universe with the Sun at the centre.
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