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Thomas S. Kuhn

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Paperback – December 15, 1996

by Thomas S. Kuhn (Author)

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"A landmark in intellectual history which has attracted attention far beyond its own immediate field. . . . It is written with a combination of depth and clarity that make it an almost unbroken series of aphorisms. . . . Kuhn does not permit truth to be a criterion of scientific theories, he would presumably not claim his own theory to be true. But if causing a revolution is the hallmark of a superior paradigm, [this book] has been a resounding success." —Nicholas Wade, Science

"Perhaps the best explanation of [the] process of discovery." —William Erwin Thompson, New York Times Book Review

"Occasionally there emerges a book which has an influence far beyond its originally intended audience. . . . Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions . . . has clearly emerged as just such a work." —Ron Johnston, Times Higher Education Supplement

"Among the most influential academic books in this century." —Choice

One of "The Hundred Most Influential Books Since the Second World War," Times Literary Supplement

Print length

212 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of Chicago Press
Publication date

December 15, 1996
Dimensions

5.25 x 1.2 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0226458083
ISBN-13

978-0226458083
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There's a "Frank & Ernest" comic strip showing a chick breaking out of its shell, looking around, and saying, "Oh, wow! Paradigm shift!" Blame the late Thomas Kuhn. Few indeed are the philosophers or historians influential enough to make it into the funny papers, but Kuhn is one.

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is indeed a paradigmatic work in the history of science. Kuhn's use of terms such as "paradigm shift" and "normal science," his ideas of how scientists move from disdain through doubt to acceptance of a new theory, his stress on social and psychological factors in science--all have had profound effects on historians, scientists, philosophers, critics, writers, business gurus, and even the cartoonist in the street.

Some scientists (such as Steven Weinberg and Ernst Mayr) are profoundly irritated by Kuhn, especially by the doubts he casts--or the way his work has been used to cast doubt--on the idea of scientific progress. Yet it has been said that the acceptance of plate tectonics in the 1960s, for instance, was sped by geologists' reluctance to be on the downside of a paradigm shift. Even Weinberg has said that "Structure has had a wider influence than any other book on the history of science." As one of Kuhn's obituaries noted, "We all live in a post-Kuhnian age." --Mary Ellen Curtin

Review

Thomas Kuhn (1922-1996) argued that scientific advancement is not evolutionary, but rather is a "series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions", and in those revolutions "one conceptual world view is replaced by another". The University of Chicago Press has released The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions to the benefit of all students of the history of science, philosophy, and the impact of science on society (and society on the development of science). If every there were a true classic on the history and development of science that is "must" reading for each new generation, it is Kuhn's benchmark work, The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions. -- Midwest Book Review

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; 3rd edition (December 15, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226458083
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226458083
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1.2 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #143,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #31 in Linear Algebra (Books)
- #45 in Medical History & Records (Books)
- #800 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)

Customer Reviews:
291 ratings

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2 star		3%
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J. Edgar Mihelic, MA, MBA

Defining the Sky

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2018

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There are a lot of concepts that come from books that have passed into the public domain of knowledge so you never think about where they came from. The Kuhnian concept of the Paradigm Shift is one of those in the water so much that we don't really even think about the water we're drinking and then we take it for granted. We're far enough along that the original idea may have been groundbreaking at the time (even though Kuhn didn't get tenure at first) but has become accepted to be part of life. Like reading a whole book on how the sky is blue. Of course it's blue. I knew that as a child. But someone had to first define sky and blue before we could put these together.

6 people found this helpful

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Mark Sirinides

A must read: whether you're a scientist or not

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2014

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This book is a very difficult read, and worth the effort. More learned people than I will review the contents of this book. I will give a more personal account. I first learned of Thomas Kuhn at a lecture in the 1980s. During the Q&A someone asked about Thomas Kuhn and his relevance to the topic. From the first mention of his name, Kuhn intrigued me. It took me several years to find the book; finally in the Princeton University bookstore. It was not widely circulated at the time, certainly there was no Amazon in 1985! The first read was very difficult. I had the book on my lap with a dictionary right beneath it. The dictionary was not helpful because of all of Kuhn's specialized terminology. I read it once a year for about five years. I got the gist of his point in the first reading. But each subsequent reading gave me a more detailed understanding of his thesis and his examples were more easily understood. I bought some other books that were commentaries on "Structure". (I recommend "The Road Since Structure" especially.)
This most recent purchase of "Stricture" is a gift for a young seminarian who's first grade daughter happens to be my student the Sunday School class which I teach.

6 people found this helpful

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Leslie Gardner

Brilliant revolution in scientific thinking

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019

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In clear and lucid prose , Kuhn alters the paradigms of your life - how a single idea can alter perceptions, and alter how things seem to be - is that the same as how they now are? He asks us that- this book transformed scientific thinking - esp in age when atoms and parts of invisible elements have to be hypothesised rather than empirically witnessed. If it works, then it must be correct. Still mind blowing!

One person found this helpful

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Keith Smith

THE best book on change managment...

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2003

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I read this book completely by accident; I found Kuhn's name and this book as a reference while looking for something completely different. When I checked out the reference a little further, I discovered that this book is generally considered a classic (anything written a half a century ago that's still cited probably has -some- staying power). So I decided to take a look at it.
The book is relatively small, which means you might think it's an easy and quick read. You'd be wrong. Kuhn's book is dense with information and thoughtful presentation, which makes it challenging to sail through quickly. However, I felt that was also one of its strong points; it forced me to work through the book and really think about what I was reading. If you're looking for fluff and pablum; look elsewhere.
So, what's the book about? As has been stated elsewhere, Kuhn's premise is that scientific progress isn't what it's typically made out to be. Generally, such as in most of my high school presentations, science is portrayed as a steadily moving river; progressing inevitably from one port of discovery to the next. Kuhn's book set that perspective on it's ear, by stating that science progresses relatively seamlessly until it gets near the edges of understanding, where it then begins fragmenting into a variety of perspectives and viewpoints. Eventually, a fundmental [paradigm] shift occurs which completely changes the world-view of that science (and which often creates an academic war to go with it). Once the dust has settled, revisionist history takes over, and we romanticize the struggle that our understanding went through in that period of growth and change.
Kuhn presents all this in a logical fashion, strengthing his argument via both a well-thought-out approach and a variety of supporting anecdotes. In particular, he doesn't rely too heavily on the Copernican revolution, which seems to be the only argument that others can present on scientific revolution. That alone contributes perhaps most heavily to the value of the argument.
So what has this got to do with change management? I worked as a management consultant for a few years, all before I read this book. Upon reading it, I was hit with the most blinding flash of the obvious; a lot of what I saw empirically in the business world echoed the issues of scientific paradigm shift that Kuhn so eloquently presented in this text. If your work involves any change to an organization; you -have- to read this book. It communicates, better than any book I've read on the subject, what's happening and why in the midst of change. The title may say "Scientific Revolutions," but the applicability is across the board. Buy it and read it.

15 people found this helpful

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Ricky

Psychologically astute, politically naive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2018

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I first read this book some forty years ago and was impressed by how Kuhn incorporated aspects of psychology into the history of scientific findings. He introduced the idea of paradigm shifts and the whole way in which scientific knowledge is achieved is more in the realm of psychological crisis than reason. He argued that theories are often clung on to way past their sell-by date, and only let go of reluctantly, when new evidence has built up to debunk them in favour of a new theory.
The reason for my three stars, is that Kuhn does not fully account for what has happened in the last forty years. The arrival of political influence on science, through state sponsored scientific programmes, has made a mockery of a principled approach to science. This is evident in the over reliance on scientific models that vary significantly from actual data, the controversy over the scientific basis of ‘man-made climate change’ is one such example.
Kuhn’s arguments led to a significant attack on the nature of science by political opportunists. These same opportunists then wanted to redefine science and use it to their own advantage. Once weakened by Kuhn’s philosophical assault, science became vulnerable to those with political motivation, who now use it as a weapon. It is common to hear phrases such as ‘scientists believe’ or ‘scientifically proven’ by lay people wishing to come across as authority figures.
Both human psychology and politics have affected the once truthful goals of science and Kuhn certainly got one of these right.

3 people found this helpful

Andrew Dalby

A Masterwork

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2008

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Anyone interested in the philosophy of science and the good practice of science should read this. I have read both the review of Danny of Arabia and Mr P Briody and they do not understand the significance of Kuhn's thesis. This is not a threat to science, science cannot be threatened by something that captures its very essence.

This is how we do science and as a research scientist for now nearly 20 years it is certainly how I see science from the inside. This is not crank philosophy or something from the creationist movement, this is an intelligent discourse. It does not have any hidden relgious agenda. It just states that science is relativistic and science is relativistic, only very bad scientists would ever argue that they know the absolute truth.

More than this it is well written and accessible and it should be read much more widely. It certainly is a clearer view than Popper's and while they are different in some aspects they do not present a completely different view of science. Both agree that certainty does not exist.

8 people found this helpful

George Tait Edwards

A key book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2018

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An essential book - replaces missing-in-libray copy

Ramkumar Revanur

Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2020

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Average paper quality. Great content.

Nick Webb

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2015

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Good stuff

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