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The Rise and Fall of Paradigms
Time
Effectiveness
Pre
-
paradigm
The Ascent of
a paradigm
•
Several
Competing
Theories
•
No
Consensus
about the
nature of
the world
•
Paradigms
must rise
from
existing
knowledge
•
Sociological
battle
over
the right
theory
•
The making of
a normal
science
•
The paradigm
itself still
adjusts
Normal science
•
A solid scientific community
•
Puzzle
-
solving: “scientific
progress”
•
Consensus about the nature of
the world
The descent of
a the paradigm
•
Crisis begins
–
Anomalies spread
•
Scientists live the
field in despair
•
Some
begin
revolutionary
science
Paradigm shift
•
The period of
transition between
paradigms is neither
smooth nor rapid
•
The two competing
paradigms live along
for a while
Incommensurability: the competing paradigms do not live in the same world