What is a paradigm shift in science?

A paradigm shift is a fundamental change in the basic concepts, theories, and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. Introduced by philosopher Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, the concept describes how periods of normal cumulative science are occasionally interrupted by revolutionary breakthroughs. These shifts occur when an existing framework becomes incompatible with newly discovered anomalies, paving the way for a completely new model of investigation.

What we know

A paradigm shift represents a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. [1, 2]
The concept was introduced and brought into common use by the American physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. [2, 5]
Paradigm shifts occur when the dominant framework of normal science is rendered incompatible with new phenomena or accumulating anomalies. [2, 5]
Thomas Kuhn used the term paradigm in multiple ways, designating both the shared techniques, values, and methods of a community and specific exemplary achievements like Newton's Principia. [2]

Still open

Commentators disagree on the implications of Kuhn's work, with some viewing it as introducing a realistic humanism and others believing it tarnishes the nobility of science by introducing irrational elements.

Where to go next

Sources

[1]paradigm shift (Wikidata Q689971) · CC0 1.0
[2]Paradigm shift · CC BY-SA 4.0
[3]Paradigm · CC BY-SA 4.0
[4]Technological paradigm · CC BY-SA 4.0
[5]The Structure of Scientific Revolutions · CC BY-SA 4.0