The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Chicago, IL: University Of Chicago Press. Near Fine. 1996. Third Edition; 1st Printing Thus. Paperback. Third Edition; First Printing Thus. Near Fine in Wraps: shows only the most minute indications of use: just a hint of tendency to lift at the outside edge of the front panel and the mildest rubbing to the panels; a small, faint spot of stain at the top edge amd several faint spots at the fore-edge; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (8 x 5. 25 x 0.65 inches) Index. Language: English. Weight: 9 ounces. University Press Paperback. Thomas S. Kuhn (1922 – 1996) was an American historian and philosopher of science. This book, 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions', was influential in both academic and popular circles. In it he introduced the term 'paradigm shift', which has since become an English-language idiom. Kuhn made several claims concerning the progress of scientific knowledge: first, that scientific fields undergo periodic "paradigm shifts" rather than solely progressing in a linear and continuous way, and, second, that these paradigm shifts open up new approaches to understanding what scientists would never have considered valid before; and third, that the notion of scientific truth, at any given moment, cannot be established solely by objective criteria but is defined by a consensus of a scientific community. Competing paradigms are frequently incommensurable; that is, they represent competing and irreconcilable accounts of reality. Thus, our comprehension of science can never rely wholly upon "objectivity" alone. Science must account for subjective perspectives as well, since all objective conclusions are ultimately founded upon the subjective conditioning of its researchers and participants. This is 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 embodied in an almost unbroken series of startling aphorisms. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; xiv, 212 pages. pages .