ABSTRACT
Larry Laudan complained that “Kuhnian holism” introduces an unacceptable evaluative relativism into the interpretation of scientific revolutions. Before a revolutionary episode, a Kuhnian disciplinary matrix includes theories T, methodological rules M and cognitive aims A. After the revolution, the disciplinary matrix includes T*, M* and A*. The transition cannot be justified by appeal to M* or A*. Such a “justification” would involve an unacceptable circularity. Moreover, according to Kuhn, there is no paradigm-neutral standpoint available from which to appraise the transition.
