Escaping Patterns; Reading in Thomas Kuhn Paradigm

Optical Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rules.

The Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule is a fundamental consequence of the position-momentum commutation relation for an atomic electron and it provides an important constraint on the transition matrix elements for an atom. Analogously, the commutation relations for the electromagnetic field operators in a magnetodielectric medium constrain the properties of the dispersion relations for the medium thr...

Philosophical Elements in Thomas Kuhn ’ s Historiography of Science

To begin, the so-called ‘selectivity of historical judgment’ is discussed. According to it, writing history requires a comparative criterion of historical relevance. This criterion contains philosophical elements. In Kuhn’s case, the criterion directs historical research and presentation away from Whiggish historiography by postulating a hermeneutic reading of historical sources. This postulate...

The Perils of Paradigm Mentalities: Revisiting Kuhn, Lakatos, and Popper

A common theme in the Centennial Issue of the American Political Science Review was how subfields have grown more specialized and insulated from one another. In this essay I argue that this trend has been hastened by the inappropriate incorporation of paradigm mentalities, first presented by Thomas Kuhn and later developed by Imre Lakatos. I show how paradigm mentalities help justify rigid oppo...

The DSS Paradigm: An Interpretation Using the Kuhn Model

For the past three decades, Decision Support Systems (DSS) have looked to provide better decision-making support for difficult and complex semi-structured and unstructured decisions. However, debate continues over where DSS fits into the history of Management Information Systems (MIS), whether it is still the primary focus of MIS research, and in which direction DSS is heading. In an attempt to...

Second Thoughts on Paradigms, Thomas Kuhn 「典範論」的再思考-孔恩