Quiz 3, Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions (ch.3 & 9)

Question 1

What does paradigm refer to in it’s classical sense?

Answer 1

a grammatical model which allows for repetition through example

Question 2

What does paradigm allow for in terms of new idea

Answer 2

Paradigm allows for articulation of an idea in new conditions rather than a repetition of ideas

Question 3

What does normal science largely consist of? What kind of work? What does the paradigm act as?

Answer 3

“mop up work” where scientists are refining and digging deeper into ideas given by the paradigm

the paradigm acts as a promise that normal science works towards

Question 4

What is narrowness in paradigm and why is it important?

Answer 4

Narrowness refers to the idea that once a paradigm is established, further investigation only works to deepen understanding rather than contradict or deny the paradigm

important because it allows for complete exploration and room for a lot of individual niches

Question 5

What are the three types of factual investigations which are the foci of normal science?

Answer 5

1. facts that have been revealing of the nature of things, like boiling points and acidities in chemistry. Investigation increases the accuracy and scope of the paradigm
2. empirical or experimental work meant to resolve remaining ambiguity, like figuring out mathematical constants or general laws. Investigation allows for further application of the paradigm
3. facts that can be direct proof of the paradigm are rare and severely limited, so they require a lot of effort an ingenuity. Think Eddington proving Einstein

Question 6

What are the three types of theoretical problems with normal science?

Answer 6

1. When people use existing theory to predict new theory
2. Manipulations of theory can aid confrontation with an experiment to display new applications (within the paradigm)
3. Paradigm articulation works only to create a more precise paradigm, not simply new information

Question 7

What about extraordinary problem

Answer 7

These are few and far inbetween, and take a lot of effort to notice, i.e. mercury’s orbit
so, more work falls into the categories above

Question 8

What are scientific revolutions?

Answer 8

they are a discovery or a set of discoveries whose information necessitates a reevaluation of the paradigm they come from, they turn it on its head

Question 9

Why use the word revolution

Answer 9

Existing institutions have ceased to adequately meet the problems posed by an environment that they have in part created
The standard does not encompass the field anymore
Political and scientific revolutions aim to change political and scientific institutions in ways that those institutions have until now prohibited
There is a scientific change that previous science did not allow for

Question 10

What is usually resorted to when a new paradigm emerges and needs followers?

Answer 10

propaganda and force to get other people on the side of either or paradigm

Question 11

What is required for a new paradigm to be accepted

Answer 11

Not just logic and experimentation, but social assent

Question 12

what is a characteristic of conceptual transformation?

Answer 12

destructiveness, because one paradigm must be destroyed in order for another one to take over or the old one to still rule

Question 13

What is reversion in paradigm change?

Answer 13

Essentially when you roundabout back to a previous theory