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Kuhn
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What is Kuhn?

Thomas Kuhn is a central figure in the philosophy and history of science, best known for his work The Structure of Scientific Revolutions and the concepts of the paradigm and paradigm shift. Students encounter Kuhn primarily in courses on philosophy of science, history of science, sociology of knowledge, and the history of ideas. His work is academically significant because it challenged the traditional view of science as a purely cumulative, rational enterprise, arguing instead that scientific progress is punctuated by revolutionary breaks in which entire frameworks of understanding are replaced.

Student papers on Kuhn tend to take several distinct approaches. Many focus directly on explicating and critically evaluating his concept of the paradigm, examining what the term means and whether it holds up under scrutiny. Others explore the mechanics of paradigm shifts and Kuhn's reasons for thinking scientific revolutions involve something more than simple theory change. Comparative approaches also appear, placing Kuhn in dialogue with other thinkers such as Popper, James, Peirce, Descartes, and Al-Ghazali to map out competing epistemological positions. Some papers apply Kuhnian frameworks to specific disciplines, including psychology and the social sciences.

A strong essay on Kuhn begins with a precise definition of whichever concept is under examination, since terms like "paradigm" carry multiple meanings even within his own work. Evidence drawn from Kuhn's arguments in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions carries the most weight, supplemented by clear logical analysis. The most common pitfall is treating "paradigm shift" as a casual metaphor rather than engaging seriously with its technical philosophical implications.

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Paper Doctorate

Research Paradigms in Tourism Studies: A Comparative Analysis

These three articles compared the methodological approaches employed by the authors from three peer reviewed tourism articles. The approaches in turn were feminism, positivism, and interpretative approach. The article dissected each of these three perspectives reviewing the research paradigms, underlying principles and different epistemological, ontological and methodological world views underpinning each perspective. Ultimately, we may agree with Kuhn in agreeing that no one perspective is the same and that all accord oftentimes contradictory assumptions and conclusions of the same subject and/ or issue.

Essay Doctorate

Nursing Theory and the Theory-Practice Gap Explained

Nursing Theory: A Microscopic Perspective on the Theory-Practice Gap

Paper Doctorate

Enlightenment Science: Method, Religion, and the Science of Man

Robert Hollinger, in his essay "What is the Enlightenment?," notes the centrality of science to the "Enlightenment project," as he defines it, offering as one of the four basic tenets that constitute the "basic ideas of…

Research Paper Doctorate

Thomas Kuhn's Philosophy of Science and Scientific Revolutions

Before one can get into an evaluation of the merits of Kuhn's concept of scientific revolutions, one must first understand the basic assumptions underlying Kuhn's theories. According to Kuhn, there are certain…

Paper Doctorate

Hidden Connections by Fritjof Capra: A Critical Review

The advent of the information technology brought a revolutionary change in the way we think and apply science. Historically, inquiry in science has been based on a model that is connected point A to point B and closely resembles occam's razor. Fritjof Capra was at the forefront of a new change – a radical way of looking at things – something called "systems thinking". In a way this was a long time coming. After all the defeat of the linear time and the idea of relativity had already transformed and busted many myths that had been taken to be fact.

Paper High School

Biblical, Naturalism, Existentialism & Pantheism Compared

This essay shows that all four ideologies Biblical, naturalism, existentialism, pantheism possesses consistencies and inconsistencies depending on the level of their physicality and metaphysically. Apparently, the more physical (or natural) their substance, the more open they are to disproval and the more likely they are to change. On the other hand, differences of age and geography also cause differences in interpretation and, therefore, inconsistency, of the material. Characteristics, too, vary with the more spiritual beliefs, such as the Bible and existentialism promoting moral and ethical values (or lack of them). Pantheism may be an exception here. The ‘harder' the ideology, however, the more morals and ethics are excluded from it. Science (or naturalism) is an instance of this.

Case Study Undergraduate

Postmodernism, Grounded Theory, and Cultural Depression Treatment

Post modernism is the philosophy which asserts that all ways of thinking are true based on that particular culture: namely, that each individual, culture or group has his or her particular perception, and that all are…

Paper Undergraduate

Experimental Research Methods in Business and Organizations

The author provides a survey of the literature illustrating applied experimental research methods in cross-sections of business and organization types. The advantages and disadvantages of the experimental research methods are discussed for each of the examples provided which run the gamut from depression-era agricultural economics to research conducted for the National Science Institute. While the article focuses on business research methods, the range of examples from multiple disciplines serves to demonstrate the adaptability of various methods to distinct contexts, the importance of thoughtfully developed research questions, and perceptions in the field regarding scientific rigor. The article is intended to guide students in their exploration of the breadth and depth of experimental research methods and to convey a sense of the challenges of applied scientific inquiry. Key words: Experimental research, quasi-experimental research, open innovation, market research, operations management, organization development, scientific inquiry.

Paper Undergraduate

Popper vs. Kuhn: Falsifiability and the Demarcation Problem

This paper explains Karl Popper's philosophy of science, and his notion of 'falsification.' A scientific theory, according to Popper, rests on empirical evidence and the fact that it has not yet been falsified. Popper's stringent definition of what constitutes science eliminates psychoanalysis and most social sciences from his definition of 'real science.' The paper then compares Popper's view with Kuhn's notion of scientific advances as culturally generated.

Paper Doctorate

Social Construction of Technology: SCOT Theory Explained

The paper is a critique of the SCOT theory, which is the theory of the social construction of technology. The SCOT theory has been present for nearly four decades and continues to grow in importance and relevance to modern times. The paper analyzes SCOT as well as its opposing viewpoint, technological determinism. The paper ultimately argues in favor for SCOT providing examples and theoretical support.

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