Paradigm Shift

A paradigm shift, suggested by Thomas Kuhn [1], is not just a small change in science, or the modification of a theory. It is a scientific revolution and completely changes the way in which science looks at the world. It often dictates how the public looks at the world. For example, Darwin's theories [2] were intensely debated by scientists and theologians. This debate spilled over into the public consciousness, and newspapers became filled with cartoons and caricatures. A paradigm shift [3] is often the result of scientists working at the fringe [4] of the paradigm, performing research [5] that most other researchers feel is a little misguided, or a dead end. In most instances, this view is correct but, every so often, a scientist has a revelation. More often than not, they feel the weight of scientific and public opinion, and become ridiculed. However, slowly but surely, other scientists try out the research, and a few lost voices in the wilderness increase into a new way of thinking. For example, Feigenbaum's explorations of chaos theory took a long time to take root, and his ideas were marginalized, because they lay outside the established classical paradigm of physics. Early Chaos Theorists found difficulties in receiving funding [6], finding supervisors, and finding journals willing to publish their research. Kuhn's paradigm definition [7] is a little more than a theory, although the terms are often used interchangeably. It is a complete and overall view of a phenomenon, often relying upon some basic principles. This process continues for a long time, until some experiments begin uncovering errors. A certain amount of error [8] is accepted, and it can be absorbed by slight changes in the paradigm. However, eventually, the basic and fundamental principles may be shown to have error and there is a paradigm shift, a way of looking at the same information in a completely different way. Probably the best way to look at a paradigm shift is through example, using example of Ptolemy, whose fixation upon a paradigm created problems. Ptolemy, in common with most Ancient Greek philosophers, believed that the earth was at the center of the universe, and that the sun and other planets revolved around it.