The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses history and scientific theories that may be problematic to or not inclusive of certain views and religions.

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions introduces a transformative concept that altered the philosophy of science: the nature of scientific revolutions. Kuhn’s exploration of this theme challenges conventional views of scientific progress, suggesting that it is not a linear and cumulative process but rather a series of paradigm shifts that redefine the fundamental assumptions guiding scientific inquiry.

Kuhn contends that scientific revolutions are not triggered by the gradual accumulation of evidence but rather by a crisis within the existing paradigm; this crisis arises when anomalies and contradictions accumulate, challenging the explanatory power of the reigning theory. Science is widely portrayed as cumulative, Kuhn acknowledges, but he argues that this is far from the truth. Historians of science, he points out, find through their research that “Perhaps science does not develop by the accumulation of individual discoveries and inventions” (2). This is because anyone who attempts to trace the history of scientific progress discovers that scientific progress is marked by periods of uncertainty, contradiction, and competing theories.