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Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions has sold more than one million copies since its publication in 1962, is one of the most cited academic books of all time, and continues to be read and studied today.
This volume of new essays evaluates the significance of Kuhn's classic book in its changing historical context, including its initial reception and its lasting effects. The essays explore the range of ideas which Kuhn made popular with his influential philosophy of science, including paradigms, normal science, paradigm changes, scientific revolutions, and incommensurability; and they also look at less-studied themes in his work, including scientific measurement, science education, and science textbooks.
Drawing on the latest scholarship as well as unpublished material in the Thomas Kuhn Archives at MIT, this volume offers a comprehensive way into Kuhn's philosophy and demonstrates the continuing relevance of his ideas for our understanding of science.
Part I. Writing Structure:
1. I would probably never have written structure / Richard Creath
2. The influence of science funding policy on Kuhn's structure of scientific revolutions / Jamie Shaw
Part II. Normal Science and Science Education:
3. Kuhn's '5th law of thermodynamics': measurement, data, and anomalies / Alisa Bokulich and Federica Bocchi
4. Normal science: the rise and fall of scientific traditions / Pablo Melogno
5. Textbook science before and after structure / Alexandra Bradner
6. Thomas Kuhn, normal science and education / Hasok Chang
Part III. Incommensurability, Progress and Revolutions:
7. Kuhn on translation / Alex Levine
8. Paradigm shifts and group belief change / Haixin Dang
9. The puzzle of promise: aka Kuhn's problem / Chris Haufe
10. The orwellian dimension of scientific progress / K. Brad Wray
11. Essential tensions in 21st century science / Hanne Andersen
IV. Kuhn's Impact on the Philosophy, Sociology and History of Science:
12. The ambiguous legacy of Kuhn's structure for normative philosophy of science / Jonathan Y. Tsou
13. Thomas Kuhn and the strong programme: an appropriate appropriation? / Markus Seidel
14. Kuhn and the history of science / Vasso Kindi
K. Brad Wray is Associate Professor at the Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University. His recent publications include Interpreting Kuhn: Critical Essays (Cambridge, 2021) and Kuhn's Intellectual Path: Charting 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' (Cambridge, 2021).
Contributors:
- Richard Creath
- Jamie Shaw
- Alisa Bokulich
- Federica Bocchi
- Pablo Melogno
- Alexandra Bradner
- Hasok Chang
- Alex Levine
- Haixin Dang
- Chris Haufe
- K. Brad Wray
- Hanne Andersen
- Jonathan Y. Tsou
- Markus Seidel
- Vasso Kindi
"The book has a nice mix of older and relatively new voices. I learned something new in each chapter. The diversity of topics is noteworthy, with much illuminating attention given to little-recognized influences on Kuhn's career."
– Tom Nickles, University of Nevada, Reno
