Paradigm Shift - Examples of Paradigm Shifts in The Natural Sciences

Examples of Paradigm Shifts in The Natural Sciences

Some of the "classical cases" of Kuhnian paradigm shifts in science are:

  • The transition in cosmology from a Ptolemaic cosmology to a Copernican one.
  • The transition in optics from geometrical optics to physical optics.
  • The transition in mechanics from Aristotelian mechanics to classical mechanics.
  • The acceptance of the theory of biogenesis, that all life comes from life, as opposed to the theory of spontaneous generation, which began in the 17th century and was not complete until the 19th century with Pasteur.
  • The acceptance of the work of Andreas Vesalius, whose work De humani corporis fabrica corrected the numerous errors in the previously-held system created by Galen.
  • The transition between the Maxwellian Electromagnetic worldview and the Einsteinian Relativistic worldview.
  • The transition between the worldview of Newtonian physics and the Einsteinian Relativistic worldview.
  • The development of quantum mechanics, which replaced classical mechanics at microscopic scales.
  • The acceptance of plate tectonics as the explanation for large-scale geologic changes.
  • The development of absolute dating.
  • The acceptance of Lavoisier's theory of chemical reactions and combustion in place of phlogiston theory, known as the Chemical Revolution.
  • The acceptance of Mendelian inheritance, as opposed to pangenesis in the early 20th century

Read more about this topic:  Paradigm Shift

Famous quotes containing the words examples of, examples, paradigm, shifts, natural and/or sciences:

    “There are many examples of women that have excelled in learning, and even in war, but this is no reason we should bring ‘em all up to Latin and Greek or else military discipline, instead of needle-work and housewifry.”
    —Bernard Mandeville (1670–1733)

    “No rules exist, and examples are simply life-savers answering the appeals of rules making vain attempts to exist.”
    —André Breton (1896–1966)

    “As in political revolutions, so in paradigm choice—there is no standard higher than the assent of the relevant community. To discover how scientific revolutions are effected, we shall therefore have to examine not only the impact of nature and of logic, but also the techniques of persuasive argumentation effective within the quite special groups that constitute the community of scientists.”
    —Thomas S. Kuhn (b. 1922)

    “The flattering, if arbitrary, label, First Lady of the Theatre, takes its toll. The demands are great, not only in energy but eventually in dramatic focus. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a star to occupy an inch of space without bursting seams, cramping everyone else’s style and unbalancing a play. No matter how self-effacing a famous player may be, he makes an entrance as a casual neighbor and the audience interest shifts to the house next door.”
    —Helen Hayes (1900–1993)

    “For my own part, I commonly attend more to nature than to man, but any affecting human event may blind our eyes to natural objects. I was so absorbed in him as to be surprised whenever I detected the routine of the natural world surviving still, or met persons going about their affairs indifferent.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “Letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting the progress of the arts and the sciences and a flourishing culture in our land.”
    —Mao Zedong (1893–1976)