The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions Summary

Kuhn’s central proposition in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that science is not a body of knowledge that grows through “steady, cumulative acquisition of knowledge but a series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions”. He described the period of crisis as the tradition-shattering complements to the tradition-bound activity of normal science.” The interlude of revolution replaces the one conceptual world view by another.

Kuhn challenged the dominant view of the history of science that science proceeds linearly by the accumulation of knowledge and replaced it with the non-cumulative episodic transient view of the history of science in which periods of continuity of normal science is interrupted by revolutionary science.

Kuhn maintained that, contrary to popular conception, a typical scientist is not an objective and independent thinker but a conservative individual who sticks to the paradigm of the time and accept what they have been taught. Most scientists are, puzzle-solvers who aim to discover what they already know in advance. Hence, most scientists, as per Kuhn, typically strive to solve a problem defined by existing knowledge. They know what they want to achieve, so design his instruments and directs his thoughts accordingly.

According to Kuhn, normal science is inherently conforming in nature. However, mature science develops through the successive transition from one
(i). Normal science can prove capable of handing the crisis-provoking problem, in which case all returns to “normal.” (ii). Alternatively, the problem resists and is labeled, but it is perceived as resulting from the field’s failure to possess the necessary tools. Scientists set such cases aside for a future generation to solve it with more developed tools. (iii). In a few cases, a new candidate for paradigm emerges, and a battle over its acceptance ensues this is called the paradigm