ABSTRACT
Comments: Thomas S. Kuhn’s (1923-1996) thesis is that science is not the steady, cumulative acquisition of knowledge (van Gelder 1996, B7). Instead, it is “a series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions.” In those revolutions, one “conconceptual world view is replaced by another.” Kuhn argued that a typical scientist is not an objective, free thinker and skeptic. Rather, he is a somewhat conservative individual who accepts what he was taught and applies his knowledge to solving the problems that come before him. He tends to solve a problem in a way that extends the scope of an already present paradigm. During a scientific revolution, a person(s) develops a new paradigm that cannot build on the one that precedes it, but supplants it. Kuhn defined “paradigm” in 22 distinct ways in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) (Gleick 1996, 25, illustration). [Latin paradigma < Greek paradeigma, pattern < para-, beside + deiknynai, to show] ♦ paradoxical sleep See sleep: stage-1 sleep. ♦ paragamy See -gamy: paragamy. ♦ paragenesis See -genesis: paragenesis. ♦ paragenetic See -genetic: paragenetic. ♦ parahomology See homology: parahomology. ♦ paralanguage See language: paralanguage. ♦ parallel evolution See 2evolution: parallel evolution. ♦ parallel polymorphism See -morphism: polymorphism. ♦ parallelism See 2evolution: parallel evolution. ♦ paralocal-character species See 2species: paralocal character species. ♦ paralocal species See 2species: paralocal species. ♦ paralogous See -logous: paralogous. ♦ parameter n.
