Abstract
Thomas Kuhn was undoubtedly one of the essential authors of the history and philosophy of science in the twentieth century. This chapter analyzes his work and discusses his important contribution to the historiography of science. The first part analyzes his masterpiece, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Next, Kuhn’s debate with Karl Popper’s philosophy of science in the 1960s is interpreted as a crucial confrontation between two traditions of research on science established around the “role of history” for understanding the scientific activity. The third section, continuing the analysis of the impact of the Kuhnian work, addresses the North American thinker’s criticism of the Strong Program’s sociology of scientific knowledge, particularly concerning the issue of scientific relativism. Finally, it is pointed out that, besides all the influential historiographical reflections Kuhn left us, perhaps, his main legacy is still to be achieved. In other words, Kuhn’s influence will be complete when the historiography of science deepens his guidelines for effective writing of the history of science, namely, a theory of the history of science that articulates (1) the historical and social aspects, (2) the idea of evolution, and (3) the role of language in the understanding of scientific activity. Kuhn was one of the few, if not the only one, to show the need to thoroughly articulate these three guidelines and thus realize a more effective and robust history of science. Since this Kuhn-inspired task is still on the horizon, we will most likely continue to be Kuhnians in the future. We are and perhaps still will be in a Kuhnian paradigm for a long time.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barra ESO (2013) Três Perspectivas Kuhnianas sobre a Filosofia Histórica da Ciência. In: Condé M, Penna-Forte M (eds) Thomas Kuhn e a Estrutura das Revoluções Científicas [50 anos]. Fino Traço, Belo Horizonte
Bloor D (1973) Wittgenstein and Manheim on the sociology of mathematics. Stud Hist Phil Sci 4(2):173–191
Bloor D (1983) Wittgenstein: a social theory of knowledge. Macmillan, London
Bloor D (1991 [1976]) Knowledge and social imagery. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Condé ML (2005) Paradigma versus Estilo de Pensamento na História da Ciência. In: Condé ML, Figueiredo B (eds) Ciência, História e Teoria. Argvmentvm, Belo Horizonte
Cupani A (2013) Por que ainda Thomas Kuhn? In Condé, Mauro and Penna-Forte, Marcelo. In: Thomas Kuhn e A Estrutura das Revoluções Científicas [50 anos]. Fino Traço, Belo Horizonte
Daston L, Galison P (2007) Objectivity. Zone Books, Cambridge
Dyson F, J. (1999) The sun, the genome, the internet: tools of scientific revolutions. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Fleck L (1979 [1935]) Genesis and development of a scientific fact. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Fuller S (2004) Kuhn vs. Popper: the struggle for the soul of science. Columbia University Press, New York
Gattei S (2008) Thomas Kuhn’s linguistic turn and the legacy of logical empiricism: incommensurability, rationality and the search for truth. Ashgate Publishing Company, Aldershot
Hacking I (1983) Representing and intervening. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Jarnicki P, Greif H (2022) The ‘Aristotle experience’ revisited: Thomas Kuhn meets Ludwik Fleck on the road to structure. Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 0. https://doi.org/10.1515/agph-2020-0160
Kuhn T (1970a [1962]) The structure of scientific revolutions. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Kuhn T (1970b) Logic of discovery or psychology of research? In: Lakatos I, Musgrave A (eds) Criticism and the growth of the knowledge. Cambridge University, London
Kuhn T (1977) The essential tension. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Kuhn T (2000) The road since structure. The University of Chicago, Chicago
Kuhn T (2022) In: Mladenovic B (ed) The last writing of Thomas Kuhn: incommensurability in science. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Latour B, Woolgar S. (1996 [1979]) La Vie de Laboratoire: La Production du Fait Scientifique. La Découverte, Paris
Masterman M (1970) The nature of a paradigm. In: Lakatos I, Musgrave A (eds) Criticism and the growth of the knowledge. Cambridge University, London
Popper K (1970) Normal sciences and its dangers. In: Lakatos I, Musgrave A (eds) Criticism and the growth of the knowledge. Cambridge University, London
Popper K (1992 [1935]) The logic of scientific discovery. Routledge, London/New York
Reichenbach H (1938) Experience and prediction: an analysis of the foundations and the structure of knowledge. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Rorty R (1996) Um Mestre Iconoclasta. Folha de São Paulo, São Paulo, 06 out. 1996. Caderno Mais, Seção autores, p 05
Shapin S, Schaffer S (1985) Leviathan and the air-pump: Hobbes, Boyle and the experimental life. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Wittgenstein L (1953) Philosophical investigations. Basil Blackwell, Oxford
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Condé, M.L. (2023). Thomas Kuhn’s Legacy for the Historiography of Science. In: Condé, M.L., Salomon, M. (eds) Handbook for the Historiography of Science. Historiographies of Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27510-4_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27510-4_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-27509-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-27510-4
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities