#epistemology
We all live with certain assumptions about how the world works. For example, most people think that germs cause disease, that reflected light causes colour, and that the world is made up of atoms. These assumptions are what Thomas #Kuhn calls a ‘paradigm.’ Sometimes, in any given paradigm, these strange puzzles will pop up – which are these anomalies which can't easily be made sense of. In the majority of cases, science will eventually solve these puzzles under what Kuhn calls ‘mopping up.’ A theory will adapt and grow. In other cases, an anomaly might not easily be explained, but since it's only a one-off, it's ignored. Very occasionally, though, these puzzles might start to build up and the anomalies can't be ignored. This is when a ‘paradigm shift’ happens – a huge part of our scientific framework will change. The implication of this is whether science can ever be called ‘true’ or just ‘normal.’ Karl #Popper once argued that science is never true, but just ‘not yet proven false.’ But Kuhn wants to go further than this. He argues that one day, science will reach a point of ‘normalcy’ where no human mind can challenge the paradigm any further. But none of this is to undermine what #science is doing. True paradigm shifts are incredibly rare, and the fact that they happen at all tells us only that #scientists are constantly checking themselves to make sure that their answers are the best and most effective. If anything, the existence of #paradigm shifts ought to make us feel more secure in what science is doing. It's not just a matter of faith or assumptions, but everything can be revised in the light of new #evidence #philosophy #epistemology #scientificmethod #history
Jonny Thomson28,000 次观看 • 2 年前
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