The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

I first read this book some forty years ago and was impressed by how Kuhn incorporated aspects of psychology into the history of scientific findings. He introduced the idea of paradigm shifts and the whole way in which scientific knowledge is achieved is more in the realm of psychological crisis than reason. He argued that theories are often clung on to way past their sell-by date, and only let go of reluctantly, when new evidence has built up to debunk them in favour of a new theory.The reason for my three stars, is that Kuhn does not fully account for what has happened in the last forty years. The arrival of political influence on science, through state sponsored scientific programmes, has made a mockery of a principled approach to science. This is evident in the over reliance on scientific models that vary significantly from actual data, the controversy over the scientific basis of ‘man-made climate change’ is one such example.Kuhn’s arguments led to a significant attack on the nature of science by political opportunists. These same opportunists then wanted to redefine science and use it to their own advantage. Once weakened by Kuhn’s philosophical assault, science became vulnerable to those with political motivation, who now use it as a weapon. It is common to hear phrases such as ‘scientists believe’ or ‘scientifically proven’ by lay people wishing to come across as authority figures.Both human psychology and politics have affected the once truthful goals of science and Kuhn certainly got one of these right.

An essential book - replaces missing-in-libray copy

Average paper quality. Great content.

Good stuff

The price was amazing and The quailty was great :) thank you