Thomas Kuhn and Imre Lakatos - Thomas Kuhn - Scientific Revolutions: crisis and revolution

7 important questions on Thomas Kuhn and Imre Lakatos - Thomas Kuhn - Scientific Revolutions: crisis and revolution

How does the development of a new scientific theory begin?

With an anomaly and the the extended exploration of this anomaly. This continues until the anomaly is expected, so the anomaly becomes a part of the normal science.

New approaches emerge when resistance against the background provided by expectation is given, so people are aware that this anomaly is there.

So re-examination happens where things are adjusted until the anomaly is expected.

How do scientists usually deal with an anomaly when it is found?

Scientists are first willing to wait, because failure to find a solution usually discredits the scientist before it discredits the theory.

When the anomaly cannot be ignored anymore it becomes recognized by the field to solve it. If it still cannot get a solution, many will question the discipline (or the different partial solutions will make people question it)

What is the difference with Popper's falisfiers?

Kuhn says that scientists may begin to lose faith in their theory an start looking for alternatives. So the anomaly lead them into crisis.
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When is a paradigm declared invalid?

When an alternative candidate emerges to take its place. Rejecting one paradigm is simultaneously accepting another.

In which three steps is a crisis resolved?

1. Normal science proves unable to handle the crisis-provoking problem in spite of the despair on the part of those who have seen it as the end of a paradigm

2. The problem resists even radical new approaches. Scientists will conclude that no solution is gonna be found within this field. The problem is for future generations

3. A crisis may end with emergence of a new paradigm; different in field, method and goals

What is a scientific revolution?

Non-cumulative developmental episodes in which old paradigm is replaced by an incompatible new one. (paradigm shift)
= competition for support of members of the community to change the beliefs

When this happens, science does not proceed in a rational way which guarantees scientific progress, because proponents differ in which paradigm is more important

What is an example of a scientific revolution in the 1950's/1970's in Macroeconomics?

1950's: neoclassical synthesis
1970's: anomaly, stagflation because of the oil crises, recession with high inflation

Bob Lucas started to leave this paradigm (rational expectations)

New paradigm 1990's: new-neoclassical synthethis (modern macroeconomics)

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