Is Kuhn’s “World Change through Revolutions” Comprehensible?

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Authors

  • Paul Hoyningen-Huene

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Details

Original languageGerman
Pages (from-to)55-72
Number of pages18
JournalEpistemology and Philosophy of Science
Volume59
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Abstract

Kuhn’s talk of “world change through revolutions” has mostly been met with perplexity. What is it really that Kuhn wants to express in this strange way? I will first review what Kuhn exactly says on this topic. Next, I show that the world change talk is at least not inconsistent and has some initial plausibility. Then I will discuss whether “world change through revolutions” should be replaced by “change of world view”. This will show that “world change through revolutions” is motivated by a strictly non-presentist historiographic stance. However, Kuhn’s intended message can also be expressed in a philosophically much less provocative way.

Keywords

    hypotheses becoming facts, non-presentist historiography, scientific revolutions, Thomas Kuhn, world change, world view change

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

Is Kuhn’s “World Change through Revolutions” Comprehensible? / Hoyningen-Huene, Paul.
In: Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, Vol. 59, No. 4, 2022, p. 55-72.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review

Hoyningen-Huene, P 2022, 'Is Kuhn’s “World Change through Revolutions” Comprehensible?', Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 55-72. https://doi.org/10.5840/EPS202259458
Hoyningen-Huene, P. (2022). Is Kuhn’s “World Change through Revolutions” Comprehensible? Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, 59(4), 55-72. https://doi.org/10.5840/EPS202259458
Hoyningen-Huene P. Is Kuhn’s “World Change through Revolutions” Comprehensible? Epistemology and Philosophy of Science. 2022;59(4):55-72. doi: 10.5840/EPS202259458
Hoyningen-Huene, Paul. / Is Kuhn’s “World Change through Revolutions” Comprehensible?. In: Epistemology and Philosophy of Science. 2022 ; Vol. 59, No. 4. pp. 55-72.
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