Kuhn & Popper
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(a) The theories and philosophy of Thomas Kuhn revolve around his concept of scientific paradigms and the way he views the progress of science. Kuhn viewed scientific progress as a cyclical and continuously evolving discipline with three stages of evolution that continue to evolve and repeat: normal science; crisis; scientific revolution. Normal science is the generally accepted framework, theories or shared understanding between scientists within a particular discipline. Normal science represents a period of stability in which scientists trained under the dominate theories of the time continue to refine and enhance the main theories of paradigms that have led to a period of stability. When enough experimentation reaches conclusions which differ or are anomalous to the generally accepted paradigms, a period of crisis results. Further experimentation leads to a new “normal science” through scientific revolution. Thus, the three stages cycle and evolve but it is the general paradigms that are accepted through experimentation which give stability to normal science. According to Kuhn, a paradigm is “a term that closely relates to normal science. By choosing it, I mean to suggest that some accepted examples of actual scientific practice…provide models from which spring particular coherent traditions of scientific research…[they are] scientific achievements…that some particular scientific community acknowledges fo
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nvalid a scientific revolution occurs. This revolution comes about because intellectual work on behalf of some scientists within the community has shown new exemplars worthy of merit. Once a majority of the scientific community members accept the new exemplar the its underlying assumptions, a period of stability or normal science once again returns to the community.
(c) Kuhn’s view of science is predominantly one of ration because he accepts the fact that there are sociological and intellectual elements that affect the creation of a paradigm, and also that science is a living breathing field where constant experimentation leads to new information becoming available that allows for the evolution or discarding of commonly held paradigms. If Kuhn’s viewpoint is limited it appears to be in his argument that paradigms are incommensurable. Because if this is the truth, then Kuhn is arguing that there can be no progressive communication between scientific revolutions, that each, like most political revolutions, exists in a vacuum, relative only to the individual members or community participating in them. This seems somewhat irrational because if scientists from other communities have knowledge of the values, generalizations and pa
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Approximate Word count = 2668
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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