The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (50th Anniversary Edition) 4th Edition

by Thomas S. Kuhn (Author)

792 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0226458120

ISBN-10: 0226458121

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A good book may have the power to change the way we see the world, but a great book actually becomes part of our daily consciousness, pervading our thinking to the point that we take it for granted, and we forget how provocative and challenging its ideas once were—and still are. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that kind of book. When it was first published in 1962, it was a landmark event in the history and philosophy of science. Fifty years later, it still has many lessons to teach.

With The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn challenged long-standing linear notions of scientific progress, arguing that transformative ideas don’t arise from the day-to-day, gradual process of experimentation and data accumulation but that the revolutions in science, those breakthrough moments that disrupt accepted thinking and offer unanticipated ideas, occur outside of “normal science,” as he called it. Though Kuhn was writing when physics ruled the sciences, his ideas on how scientific revolutions bring order to the anomalies that amass over time in research experiments are still instructive in our biotech age.

This new edition of Kuhn’s essential work in the history of science includes an insightful introduction by Ian Hacking, which clarifies terms popularized by Kuhn, including paradigm and incommensurability, and applies Kuhn’s ideas to the science of today. Usefully keyed to the separate sections of the book, Hacking’s introduction provides important background information as well as a contemporary context. Newly designed, with an expanded index, this edition will be eagerly welcomed by the next generation of readers seeking to understand the history of our perspectives on science.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Like Thomas Kuhn, Ian Hacking has a gift for clear exposition. His introduction provides a helpful guide to some of the thornier philosophical issues. . . . We may still admire Kuhn’s dexterity in broaching challenging ideas with a fascinating mix of examples from psychology, history, philosophy, and beyond. We need hardly agree with each of Kuhn’s propositions to enjoy—and benefit from—this classic book.”

-- David Kaiser ― Nature

"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions did a gestalt flip on just about every assumption about the who, how, and what of scientific progress. . . . The book still vibrates our culture’s walls like a trumpet call. History of science may not have become exactly what Kuhn thought it should, but The Structure of Scientific Revolutions knocked it off its existing tracks.”

― Chronicle of Higher Education

“So long as there are still paradigms among us, the achievements of Thomas Kuhn will be remembered.”

― National Post (Canada)

“One of the most influential books of the 20th century. . . . Singlehandedly changed the way we think about mankind’s most organized attempt to understand the world.”

― Guardian

“The Kuhnian image of science has reshaped our understanding of the scientific enterprise and human inquiry in general. If you haven’t already read The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, the publication of this inexpensive 50th-anniversary edition offers a perfect excuse to do so.”

― Science

About the Author

Thomas S. Kuhn (1922–96) was the Laurence Rockefeller Professor of linguistics and philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His books include The Essential Tension; Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity, 1894–1912; and The Copernican Revolution.

Product details

Publisher : University of Chicago Press; 4th edition (April 1, 2012)
Language : English
Paperback : 264 pages
ISBN-10 : 0226458121
ISBN-13 : 978-0226458120
Item Weight : 12.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Encyclopedias (Books)
- #14 in Philosophy (Books)
- #27 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)

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Wayne P.

A classic that is still very much worth reading

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2015

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First, let me state the obvious - since Kuhn is talking about the philosophy of science, this is not light reading. That said, this book is as relevant as it was when it was first published - perhaps more so. Kuhn makes a well-reasoned argument that science is not an objective search for "truth," as many people believe. Instead, "normal science" is a problem solving endeavor, solving known problems by known methods. Science only changes the rules by which it operates (its "paradigm" - that over-used and often misused term in contemporary language) only when the current paradigm causes more problems than it solves. This is the real answer to any from any field who say, "The science is settled. There is no room for discussion." Those who make that statement need to re-read Kuhn and come to grips with the reality that all knowledge is inevitably socially constructed. If you read this in graduate school, it is worth revisiting. If you have never read it and you are ready for some deep thinking, dive in. You will find your horizons expanded, and that is a good thing.

174 people found this helpful

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Ijaz Durrani

Review of the book titled:" The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by IJAZ DURRANI

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2015

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I found Thomas Kuhn's book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" very much a test to get past. Ordinarily, if a book doesn't keep my attention, or I think that it hard to peruse after the initial couple of pages, I surrender. Then again, I was dead set to endure this book, particularly given that the Times Literary supplement once portrayed it as one of "The Hundred Most Influential Books Since the Second World War".

"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions", initially printed in 1962, is an examination of the historical backdrop of science. At the time of its circulation, it unsettled a couple of plumes, and keeps on doing as such today. In this book, Kuhn challenges the regular view that experimental advancement happens by the amassing of learning, prompting the improvement of acknowledged truths and hypotheses. He contends for a model whereby times of "ordinary science" are hindered by times of progressive science. It is amid such times of transformation that the advancement of experimental hypothesis happens. Kuhn portends that a standard transformation happens, whereby the tenets of examination and the bearing of exploration change, and new inquiries are asked of past information.

One sample that Thomas Kuhn utilizes as a part of his book is the Copernican Revolution. This alludes to the ideal model transformation from the Ptolemaic model of the sky, which proposed the Earth at the middle of the world, towards the heliocentric model with the Sun at the core of our Solar System. While Copernicus initially set forward this model, it was just until Galileo presented his speculations concerning movement that the heliocentric model turned into an acknowledged reality.

I wouldn't prescribe this book for the normal reader : its truly a scholastic book and there is a great deal to get your head around. By and by, I discovered this an extremely troublesome book to peruse; notwithstanding, it did get me contemplating experimental exploration and how we go about it. It is a book I accept I will return to every now and then and increase a tad bit more information every time I do. I think it would be perfect for a scientist who has an enthusiasm for logic and/or history. IJAZ DURRANI

37 people found this helpful

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Daniel W

Historically, scientific progress has often involved abandoning or reconceptualizing previous ideas and observations.

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2017

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Science is not a purely additive process. New facts and theories are not simply added to the pile of existing ones. New knowledge and understanding often requires abandoning or drastically reconceiving old theories and observations. Kuhn explores this in great detail, and I found it fascinating and insightful.

For example, prior to the invention of the telescope, the celestial sphere was viewed as fundamentally different from the earthly sphere. But a simple look at the moon in Galileo's telescope reveals it to be a body that is very similar to the Earth. It has mountains which cast shadows as the light moves across them, and so on.

The "moon" must now be be viewed as a rather different concept, and this new conception is invoked every time one looks at it. This new "paradigm" affects other observations, such as those of Jupiter and Saturn. They are not pure, static points of light like stars, and some color and a circular shape can be see with the new telescope. Must they be bodies like that of the Moon or Earth as well?

In the book, as Kuhn presents his analysis, it seems we are also taking a deep look at epistemology, and the subtleties and differences between how something is perceived and how it is conceived. Grounded in the historical narrative of scientific advancement, I found this investigation of those difficult and elusive topics to be more enlightening than usual.

I believe that some criticize Kuhn for how sharp and discontinuous he describes his paradigm shifts to be (although I haven't looked at this closely yet, I may be mistaken). For me, this was not a main point. I enjoyed his detailed analysis of how paradigms change in general, and why this is a more accurate description of how science progresses, compared to additive models.

14 people found this helpful

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Cirstie A Noble

I like when he went in to the examples of different ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2018

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This is not a book that can be read leisurely. It takes full concentration, and to be honest, I’m not sure that I caught everything. What I did catch about the theory of paradigm change and scientific revolutions was interesting. I like when he went in to the examples of different aspects of scientific revolutions in history (perhaps because those were the only concrete things he talked about). I understand that the successive steps that lead to scientific revolution and paradigm change.
What I don’t understand is the relevancy. I know that he mentions how scientific textbooks present the history of a science as linear and building towards and end goal. He mentions that there probably is no end-goal—no final, perfect truth. Does this matter to a scientist, solving “normal” science puzzles? (I guess that’s an unfair question to ask anything involving philosophy.) I wish I could have read this when it came out, and what Kuhn was claiming was revolutionary itself.

10 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

gerardpeter

A Classic of Modern Philosophy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2018

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It was rare for a philosophy essay to have the impact this had when it was published in 1962. Both widely read and serious, it featured in millennial lists of great books of the 20th century – New York Times, Time etc. Its key concept – paradigm - has passed into the social sciences, the arts and business studies and beyond into popular culture. It certainly might be considered a “should read”.

It is not easy though. Structure addresses academic scientists and philosophers. In particular he confronts the ideas and propositions of Karl Popper. Some familiarity with physics and chemistry will be required.

It has dated a little. Throughout Kuhn refers to scientists as men, not so strange in the 1960s. He holds a very “western view” of science, too. He accords to the practice and its practitioners a respect that has dimmed somewhat in the years since. Certainly today we are not so comfortable with the notion that science best manages itself. Nonetheless Kuhn’s ideas remain as important as they are challenging.

Students are likely to encounter Structures on philosophy courses and as part of a taught programme it will easier to understand. It should appeal to graduates and undergraduates in the natural sciences especially. Kuhn himself tells us that in his own days as a student and then professor he found textbooks useful training manuals for physics, chemistry etc but inadequate in other ways. They misrepresented the history of their discipline and misconstrued how it reached its current point and how it would progress in the future. That was the 1940s and 1950s – have current texts been adapted as he suggested? Something readers today could usefully consider.

The popularization of key ideas in Structure should be viewed with caution. Concepts such as paradigm have been transferred all too loosely into other domains. Furthermore, it would be false to see Kuhn as a "voice of the 60s" or to suggest that he was debunking technology and rationality. This edition has a useful introduction by Ian Hacking which supplies a corrective to such notions and valuable context.

15 people found this helpful

David H

If scientists read just one work outside their discipline, let it be this. A masterpiece

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2018

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Kuhn's masterpiece is still as relevant today as it was when it was published. The text is clear and accessible to all, and that's certainly something for a philosopher. Just look at Foucault).

This book transcends disciplines. An important work of philosophy, yes, but it should not be them it is limited to. If there is one work outside their field I could make every scientist read, it would be this.

If you found this review useful in any way I’d be super grateful if you clicked the “helpful” button below to let me know :)

13 people found this helpful

View from nowhere

Standing on the shoulders of giants

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2020

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You can do science without the philosophy of science however I believe it’s in the spirit of the enterprise to do more than just ‘what works’. Meta questions need to be asked to comprehend the purpose and scope of the scientific method.

This is one of the most important book for understanding how science progresses and the structure of its history. It’s essential reading for philosophy students or those with an interest in the foundations of science.

This book prompted the shift away from seeing the subject as a linear progression and toward the view that it moves forward via ‘paradigm shifts’ in understanding.

The book is very clear, insightful, logical and at the same time easy to read, which cannot be said for many great philosophical work and a testament to Kuhn’s clear thinking. Whilst not every part of his argument is successful the fact that his views remain a live debate in philosophy classes to this day, show how important this work is, in this area of western thought.

sjm53

Very Much of Its Time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2020

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I was disappointed by this book, considering the reputation it enjoys. It seems very much of its time, being written when physics rather than biology or AI was the paradigmatic science. It thus illustrates the very phenomenon it sets out to explain, but does so in an over-systematic way that doesn’t really convince – a point that the introduction to this 5Oth anniversary edition comes close to acknowledging. Still, it is worth reading because Kuhn is often cited in post-truth, post-modernist literature in order to justify relativism. The very title of the work should be enough to deter those of a deconstructionist bent from adducing it to support this position.

Bizniz D. Smith

Wow, keep going it a revelation, the theme ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2017

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Wow, keep going it a revelation, the theme of how scientists change their mind can be applied to all sections and cultures of society - the concept of holding onto and letting go of paradigms of life or profession, despite the 'facts', is a powerful argument.

4 people found this helpful

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