Paradigm shift
From Wikinfo
A paradigm shift is an often radical change of paradigm. It is the successful new theory which explains a phenomenon or phenomena that the previous theory fails to. The term was first used by Thomas Kuhn in his famous 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
"The key to every man is his thought. Sturdy and defying though he look, he has a helm which he obeys, which is the idea after which all his facts are classified. He can only be reformed by showing him a new idea which commands his own." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Examples of paradigm shifts
- The work of Galileo.
- The work of Kepler.
- The invention of modern physics by Newton.
- Albert Einstein's development of Special relativity, which overthrew the idea of the ether and of absolute motion.
- Albert Einstein's development of General relativity, which overthrew previous ideas of space and time.
- The development of Quantum mechanics, which overthrew classical mechanics.
- The 17th century scientific revolution
Kuhnian Paradigm Shifts
A epistemological paradigm shift was called a scientific revolution by epistemologist Thomas Kuhn.
A scientific revolution occurs, according to Kuhn, when scientists encounter anomalies which cannot be explained by the universally accepted paradigm within which scientific progress has thereto been made. Once new discoveries are made that cannot be reconciled with a current paradigm and these results are independently confirmed by other scientists, then the scientific community is forced to create a new paradigm in line with the evidence. This is a key difference between science (and generally to science and other belief systems); adherents of the scientific method are generally forced to change their beliefs when new facts and compelling logic are presented.
A common misinterpretation of Kuhnian paradigms is the belief that the discovery of paradigm shifts and the dynamic nature of science is a case for relativism: the view that all kinds of belief systems are equal, such that magic, religious concepts or pseudoscience would be of equal working value to true science. Kuhn vehemently denies this interpretation and states that when a scientific paradigm is replaced by a new one, albeit through a complex social process, the new one is always better, not just different.
These claims of relativism are, however, tied to another claim that Kuhn does at least somewhat endorse: that the language and theories of different paradigms cannot be translated into one another or rationally evalauated against one another — that they are incommensurable. This gave rise to much talk of different peoples and cultures having radically different worldviews or conceptual schemes — so different that whether or not one was better, they could not be understood by one another. However, the philosopher Donald Davidson published a highly-regarded essay in 1974, "On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme," arguing that the notion that any languages or theories could be incommensurable with one another was itself incoherent. If this is correct, Kuhn's claims must be taken in a weaker sense than they often are.
The term mechanistic paradigm has come into use to describe some elements of the existing technology-driven culture, which is said to be in a paradigm shift right now to something that critics of this shift call a cognitive paradigm. That phrase is however not used by advocates of the cognitive science approaches.
Other Uses
The term "paradigm shift" has found uses in opther contexts, representing the notion of a major change in a certain thought-pattern — a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing:
- Margaret Mead, noted anthropologist, shows a flashlight to the indigenous New Guinea people.
- People blind since birth are suddenly enabled to see.
- Development of new techniques in genetics impact long-standing assumptions in anthropology.
- An apparently miraculous healing is witnessed by someone who has never believed in miracles.
- Brainwashing — conversion experiences, patterned or forced shifts in ideology and social behavior.
Examples of paradigm shifts in complex systems and organizations:
- The English monarchy with the signing of the Magna Carta.
- The "explosion of life" during the Pre-Cambrian era.
- Society with the invention of any of several innovations (fire, the wheel, gunpowder, the microchip, etc.).
- Warfare and corporate structure with the development of the Prussian military model.
See Also
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Paradigm_shift" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm_shift, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
