What Is A Paradigm Shift, Anyway? - NPR

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Accordingly, a paradigm shift is defined as "an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is ... Accessibilitylinks Skiptomaincontent Keyboardshortcutsforaudioplayer WhatIsAParadigmShift,Anyway?:13.7:CosmosAndCultureThomasKuhn,thewell-knownphysicist,philosopherandhistorianofscience,wasborn94yearsagotoday.PsychologistTaniaLombrozotakesalookatwhathis"paradigmshift"reallymeans. Opinion Culture WhatIsAParadigmShift,Anyway? Facebook Twitter Flipboard Email July18,20162:29PMET TaniaLombrozo Enlargethisimage YagiStudio/GettyImages YagiStudio/GettyImages ThomasKuhn,thewell-knownphysicist,philosopherandhistorianofscience,wasborn94yearsagotoday.Hewentontobecomeanimportantandbroad-rangingthinker,andoneofthemostinfluentialphilosophersofthe20thcentury.Kuhn's1962book,TheStructureofScientificRevolutions,transformedthephilosophyofscienceandchangedthewaymanyscientiststhinkabouttheirwork.Buthisinfluenceextendedwellbeyondtheacademy:Thebookwaswidelyread—andseepedintopopularculture.Onemeasureofhisinfluenceisthewidespreaduseoftheterm"paradigmshift,"whichheintroducedinarticulatinghisviewsabouthowsciencechangesovertime.Inspired,inpart,bythetheoriesofpsychologistJeanPiaget,whosawchildren'sdevelopmentasaseriesofdiscretestagesmarkedbyperiodsoftransition,Kuhnpositedtwokindsofscientificchange:incrementaldevelopmentsinthecourseofwhathecalled"normalscience,"andscientificrevolutionsthatpunctuatethesemorestableperiods.Hesuggestedthatscientificrevolutionsarenotamatterofincrementaladvance;theyinvolve"paradigmshifts." Talkofparadigmsandparadigmshiftshassincebecomecommonplace—notonlyinscience,butalsoinbusiness,socialmovementsandbeyond.InacolumnatTheGlobeandMail,RobertFulforddescribesparadigmas"acrossoverhit:Itmovednimblyfromsciencetoculturetosportstobusiness."Butwhat,exactly,isaparadigmshift?Or,forthatmatter,aparadigm?TheMerriam-Websterdictionaryoffersthefollowing:SimpleDefinitionofparadigm::amodelorpatternforsomethingthatmaybecopied
:atheoryoragroupofideasabouthowsomethingshouldbedone,made,orthoughtabout
Accordingly,aparadigmshiftisdefinedas"animportantchangethathappenswhentheusualwayofthinkingaboutordoingsomethingisreplacedbyanewanddifferentway."Morethan50yearsafterKuhn'sfamousbook,thesedefinitionsmayseemintuitiveratherthantechnical.ButdotheycapturewhatKuhnactuallyhadinmindindevelopinganaccountofscientificchange?Itturnsoutthisquestionishardtoanswer—notbecauseparadigmhasanespeciallytechnicalorobscuredefinition,butbecauseithasmany.Inapaperpublishedin1970,MargaretMastersonpresentedacarefulreadingofKuhn's1962book.Sheidentified21distinctsensesinwhichKuhnusedthetermparadigm.(That'sright:21.) Considerafewexamples.First,aparadigmcouldrefertoaspecialkindofachievement.MastersonquotesKuhn,whointroducesaparadigmasatextbookorclassicexamplethatis"sufficientlyunprecedentedtoattractanenduringgroupofadherentsawayfromcompetingmodesofscientificactivity,"butthatissimultaneously"sufficientlyopen-endedtoleaveallsortsofproblemsfortheredefinedgroupofpractitionerstoresolve."WritesKuhn:"AchievementsthatsharethesetwocharacteristicsIshallhenceforthrefertoas'paradigms.'"Butinotherpartsofthetext,paradigmscovermoreground.Paradigmscanoffergeneralepistemologicalviewpoints,likethe"philosophicalparadigminitiatedbyDescartes,"ordefineabroadsweepofreality,aswhen"Paradigmsdeterminelargeareasofexperienceatthesametime."Giventhisbountyofrelateduses,Mastersonasksaprovocativequestion:Isthere,philosophicallyspeaking,anythingdefiniteorgeneralaboutthenotionofaparadigmwhichKuhnistryingtomakeclear?Orishejustahistorian-poetdescribingdifferenthappeningswhichhaveoccurredinthecourseofthehistoryofscience,andreferringtothemallbyusingthesameword"paradigm"?Intheend,MastersondistillsKuhn's21sensesofparadigmintoamorerespectablethree,andsheidentifieswhatsheseesasbothnovelandimportantaspectsofKuhn's"paradigmview"ofscience.Butforourpurposes,Masterson'sanalysisshedslightontwoquestionsthatturnouttoberelated:whatKuhnmeantbyparadigminthefirstplace,andhowasinglewordmanagedtoassumesuchabroadandexpansivesetofmeaningsafterbeingunleashedbyKuhn'sbook.Ofcourse,Kuhncan'tbeblamedsingle-handedlyforthewayparadigm—anditsshiftiercousin—havepropagatedinpopularculture.Whathediddowasprovidesomeclassicexamplesofthetermthatweresufficientlyunprecedentedtoattractadherentsawayfrommoremundanealternatives,butsufficientlyopen-endedtoleaveallsortsofpossibilitiesforotherstoexplore.Andthat,Isuppose,isanachievement.TaniaLombrozoisapsychologyprofessorattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Shewritesaboutpsychology,cognitivescienceandphilosophy,withoccasionalforaysintoparentingandveganism.YoucankeepupwithmoreofwhatsheisthinkingonTwitter:@TaniaLombrozo thomaskuhn paradigmshift Facebook Twitter Flipboard Email NPRthanksoursponsorsBecomeanNPRsponsor



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