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This book examines the philosophical perspective of Thomas Kuhn, developed through dialectical opposition to the traditional static view of science. Kuhn s dynamic perspective led him to turn to the history of science, formulate a history-based model of scientific progress, and adopt a collectivist, community-oriented, and practice-based conception of scientific rationality.
The book reconstructs Kuhn s philosophy by drawing on both his pre- and post-Structure writings, while also comparing his ideas with those of other major thinkers such as Rudolf Carnap and W.V.O. Quine. It further addresses meta-philosophical issues concerning the study of collective scientific practice and the relationship between the philosophy of science and qualitative, social, or ethnographic approaches to scientific communities.
Not only does the author reassess Kuhn s philosophical framework, but he also extends it to contemporary issues such as scientific specialization, interdisciplinarity, and the role of values in science making this volume valuable both for Kuhn scholars and for readers new to his work.
List of contents
Acknowledgments.- List of Abbreviations of Thomas Kuhn s works.- Chapter 1. Recovering Thomas Kuhn s philosophy.- Part I. Thomas Kuhn s Philosophical Perspective.- Chapter 2. The Static Perspective.- Chapter 3. The Dynamic Perspective.- Chapter 4. Kuhn s theory of collective rationality.- Part II. From Paradigms to Lexicons.- Chapter 5. From Paradigms to Exemplars.- Chapter 6. Kind Terms and Taxonomies.- Chapter 7. Lexicons.- Part III. Kuhnian Issues.- Chapter 8. Specialisation and Interdisciplinarity.- Chapter 9. Kuhn and the Value-Free Ideal.- Chapter 10. Truth and Progress.- Chapter 11. Outro. Is a distinctive Kuhnian school even possible?.- Index.
About the author
Vincenzo Politi
earned a Phd in Philosophy at the University of Bristol, where he pursued a project about Thomas Kuhn's post-
Structure
philosophy. He has held research positions in Mexico City, Paris, Oslo, and Barcelona, where he is currently working on issues about science, values, and society.
Summary
This book examines the philosophical perspective of Thomas Kuhn, developed through dialectical opposition to the traditional
static
view of science. Kuhn’s
dynamic
perspective led him to turn to the history of science, formulate a history-based model of scientific progress, and adopt a collectivist, community-oriented, and practice-based conception of scientific rationality.
The book reconstructs Kuhn’s philosophy by drawing on both his pre- and post-
Structure
writings, while also comparing his ideas with those of other major thinkers such as Rudolf Carnap and W.V.O. Quine. It further addresses meta-philosophical issues concerning the study of collective scientific practice and the relationship between the philosophy of science and qualitative, social, or ethnographic approaches to scientific communities.
Not only does the author reassess Kuhn’s philosophical framework, but he also extends it to contemporary issues such as scientific specialization, interdisciplinarity, and the role of values in science—making this volume valuable both for Kuhn scholars and for readers new to his work.
