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- What does Thomas Kuhn mean by “paradigms” in the context of his philosophy of science? How do paradigms shape the scientific community’s understanding of normal science and revolutionary science?
- According to Kuhn, how does a scientific community transition from one paradigm to another? What are the key factors that contribute to the acceptance or rejection of a new paradigm within the scientific community?
- Kuhn argues that paradigms play a crucial role in shaping scientific research and progress. Could you explain how a paradigm guides scientific inquiry, influences the choice of research questions, and affects the interpretation of experimental results?
- Describe the concept of “paradigm shift” as introduced by Kuhn. Provide an example from the history of science where a paradigm shift led to a fundamental transformation in the way scientists understood a particular phenomenon or field of study.
- Kuhn suggests that different scientific communities may operate within distinct paradigms, making it challenging to compare and evaluate their progress objectively. How does this concept of incommensurability between paradigms impact our understanding of scientific development and the assessment of scientific theories?
This chapter is a complete addition to the adaptation of The Originals: Classic Readings in Western Philosophy (on BC Campus) by Jeff McLaughlin, R. Adam Dastrup, and Maura Hahnenberger, and is used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International license. All content in this chapter has been added, and is new to this adaptation.