Abstract
This paper examines the reasoning of Thomas S. Kuhn as it relates to his statement that his notion of paradigm might not be applicable to the social sciences. It also examines the responses of social scientists to Kuhn's statement of inapplicability. The final section of the paper presents a personal position regarding Kuhn's critique and an argument for this position.

From the Paper
"This paper examines the reasoning of Thomas S Kuhn as it relates to his statement that his notion of paradigm might not be applicable to the social sciences. It also examines the responses of social scientists to Kuhn's statement of inapplicability. The final section of the paper presents a personal position regarding Kuhn's critique and an argument for this position."

Tags:Kuhn, paradigm, social scientists, statement of inapplicability

Abstract
Thomas S. Kuhn's structural account on the production of scientific knowledge constructs a generalized picture of the process by which a science is born and undergoes change and development. This paper explains that for Kuhn, science is a social system. It looks at how Kuhn analyzes the structure of scientific revolutions using several key concepts. He uses the term paradigm for an archetypal experiment or problem solution that implicitly tells scientists how to look at the world. This paper discusses how Kuhn's thesis about scientific authority utilizes the notion of normal science which he defines as science that uses a past achievement as a model and guide for formulating and solving new problems about the world which are based on paradigms. In addition, scientific revolutions occur when one paradigm is replaced by another. The writer also explains that as a result, paradigms play an important role in both normal science and scientific revolutions.

From the Paper
"The production of scientific knowledge undergoes six main steps. The first is a pre-paradigm stage in which the natural phenomena that later form the subject matter of a mature science are studied and explained from widely differing points of view. Next comes the emergence of a paradigm, embodied in the published works of one or more recognized scientists, defining and exemplifying the concepts and methods of research appropriate to the study of a certain class of natural phenomena, and serving as an inspiration to further research by its promise of success in explaining those phenomena. The third stage in the development of scientific knowledge is a period of normal science in which theories are explored and scientific puzzles are solved. A critical stage is the discovery of natural phenomena that violate the expectations governed by paradigms. In this stage, new theories are designed to explain these anomalous facts and then an abrupt transition to a new paradigm takes place in which a new conceptual and methodological framework arises which replaces the old. The final stage in the structure of scientific knowledge is the continuation of normal science within the new paradigm. This continues until the whole process repeats itself."

Tags:kuhn, philosophy, revolutions, science, scientific

Abstract
This paper examines and reviews five Internet sites that deal with Thomas S. Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions as paradigm shifts.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine a representative example of Internet sites that deal in some detail with Thomas S. Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions as paradigm shifts. The plan of the research will be to set forth the fundamental principles of Kuhn's theory and then to identify Internet sites that critique it with a view toward establishing a sense of how well regarded Kuhn's views are in the current period. "

Tags:Internet, Kuhn, paradigms, social, history, of, science

Abstract
This paper examines Thomas Kuhn's influence on post-modernism, which an emphasis on his work on paradigm shifts that supported the post-modernist belief that an accurate description of reality is impossible to attain. Additionally, the paper describes Kuhn's analysis of the changing nature of science according to the post-modernist theory that truth is constantly evolving.

From the Paper
"Kuhn's paradigm shifts had a sympathetic ear in post-modernism, for his work on paradigms and paradigm shifts supported the post-modernist belief that an accurate description of reality is impossible to attain. Kuhn's analysis of the changing nature of science was supportive of post-modernist theory that truth is constantly evolving, limited, and approximate, that theory can never be proven true, it can only be proven false, that no theory can ever explain all things, and that consequently..."

Tags:thomas, kuhn, paradigm

Abstract
The paper presents a summary of the philosophy of Thomas Kuhn which is followed by a personal reaction and critique of Kuhn's views. Support for this position is noted with a discussion of what type of personal experiences could confirm or disconfirm Kuhn's philosophy.

From the Paper
"The following presents a summary of the philosophy of Thomas Kuhn. This is followed by a personal reaction and critique of Kuhn's views. Support for this position is noted with a discussion of what type of personal experiences could confirm or disconfirm Kuhn's philosophy. Thomas Kuhn wrote "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" in which he presented a unique view of scientific change. Kuhn stated that science does not present with uniform phases and instead normal and revolutionary phases that..."

Tags:kuhn

Abstract
The paper incorporates the meme concept from Richard Dawkins' book, "The Selfish Gene", the educational funding concept from Jonathan Kozol's book, "Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools", and the paradigm concept from Thomas Kuhn's book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" to provide an effective means of understanding and analyzing the dysfunctional education funding system in the United States. Even more importantly, the paper asserts that this approach enables us to identify and propose potential solutions based upon new perspectives and new ways of thinking.

From the Paper
"Incorporating the meme concept from Richard Dawkins' book, "The Selfish Gene", the educational funding concept from Jonathan Kozol's book, "Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools', and the paradigm concept from Thomas Kuhn's book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" provides an effective means of understanding and analyzing the dysfunctional education funding system in the United..."

Tags:kozol, kuhn, dawkins

Abstract
This paper examines how Thomas Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" is certainly the most influential book in terms of the way modern philosophy of science is conducted. It discusses how Kuhn's theory of the process of scientific revolutions stems from his belief that scientific progress is not made in some tidy rational way, but, in fact, proceeds in a way that is based on all sorts of nonrational systems. In comparison, it looks at how Michael Oakeshott's "Experience and its Modes" doesn't discuss the history of scientific revolutions, per se, and there are a great number of resonances between Oakeshott's and Kuhn's respective projects. It shows how Oakeshott's work is generally more holistic in its overall reach as it attempts to discuss the limits and nature of human epistemology on a grand scale and how his work is relevant to Kuhn's because he does consider science as one of these modes of epistemology.

From the Paper
"Thus, the radical argument here in Kuhn's idea is that science is not a rational process of gradual adding to already known information as theorists often claim. Rather, it is a turbulent dynamic system, in which ways of knowing are constantly shifting in dynamic ways that attack the basic epistemology of science. Anyone who doubts that basic epistemological issues are at the heart of many scientific debates rather than just accumulating new knowledge would do well to look at Quantum Mechanic for example, which, unlike most of the rest of science, claims that you cannot necessarily predict the outcome of a specific event, only the probability of a specific outcome."

Tags:scientific, revolution, nonrational, systems, epistemology

Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of Thomas Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions, a three-stage cyclical process of change in science that encompasses normal science, crisis and revolution. The paper both supports and critiques Kuhn's views, referring to a number of Web sites related to his theory.

From the Paper
"Thomas Kuhn's theory of scientific revolution encompasses a repetitive and ongoing cyclical process that involves three stages: normal science, crisis and scientific revolution. It is during the stage of normal science that scientists..."

Tags:paradigms, physics, experiment, knowledge, truth, philosophy, bias, nature

Abstract
This paper argues that Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions is valid and that it explains recent developments in the fields of genetics and bioengineering. The paper outlines the basic tenets of the theory and his process of change and also considers the criticisms of his work. The paper shows how science is an ever-changing area where old ideas are continually being replaced by new ones, and Kuhn's theory provides a map that can be used to follow these changes.

Outline:
Basic Tenets of the Theory
The Process of Change
Kuhn and the Field of Genetics and Bioengineering

From the Paper
"Kuhn's process is believed to repeat itself every time a new area of scientific discovery is pursued. Kuhn argues that one cannot see the stages taking place until after the new paradigm is established. However, it one takes a look at a rapidly changing field of modern science, one can see these phases in action. The following will explore Kuhn's process of change as it relates to the field of genetics and bioengineering.
"Bioengineering is the process of changing an organism's DNA so that it has desirable traits. It is also conducted to attempt to eliminate undesirable characteristics. The field of bioengineering is actually an old idea. However, recent developments have changed the way people think about the field. Let us examination this evolution of this scientific revolution.
"Bioengineering has been practiced since ancient times. The first bioengineers accomplished their goals through the selective breeding of livestock and plants. When a genetic mutation occurred, they could decide to propagate the mutation or to allow it to extinguish through failing to propagate it. This process mimics nature, only humans have a hand in making an active decision about whether the new mutation survives or are allowed to become extinct. The goal of selective breeding is to improve the species to make it more suitable to human needs."

Tags:genetics, bioengineering, DNA, paradigms

Abstract
The paper discusses Thomas Kuhn's analysis of science's development, where he reinvented the concept of scientific paradigms and distinguished between "normal" and "revolutionary" science. The paper explains the controversy surrounding his ideas and why his theories have also had a significant appeal to many scientists.

From the Paper
"In Thomas Kuhn's book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1962, he has reinvented the concept of scientific paradigms. According to the Christian Hubert Studio website, Kuhn has applied the concept to both the body of theories and of ideas giving it a worldly perspective. They have interpreted Kuhn's suggestion that there is, to some extent, "a kind of self-sustaining circularity between ideas and practices" (Hubert, n.d.). However, the site implies that this is a necessary element of science that is referred to as "exemplars" or a uniting of practice and theory."

Tags:paradigms, disciplines, crises, knowledge