Thomas Kuhn's Structure Of Scientific Revolution

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“No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution…revolution is but thought carried into action.” Emma Goldman, a pivotal actor in the development of anarchist political philosophy, is correct in her statement that revolution is necessary for change. Throughout the history of the United States, no significant change has ever occurred simply and without subsequent outburst. Beginning with the Revolutionary War, citizens of the United States have encountered several revolutions and changes of thought. When applied to terminology Thomas Kuhn uses in his Structure of Scientific Revolution, the paradigm shifts that have occurred throughout the history of the United States have followed the structure Kuhn’s theories. In his …show more content…

Kuhn states that “Scientific revolutions are the tradition-shattering complements to the tradition-bound activity of normal science” (6). The word “shattering” is very important to the definition of “scientific revolution.” The process of understanding and accepting new paradigms can be, and almost always is, very difficult and time-consuming, and is most always strongly resisted by the scientific community. These actions of resistance can also be applied to United States history, as resistance almost always occurs before and after a new paradigm is …show more content…

The British passed many legislative acts, such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Tea Acts in hopes that they could possibly dissuade the colonists from breaking with Britain. Unfortunately, the last of the aforementioned acts did just the opposite of what the British wanted. On December 16, 1773 about seven months after the enactment of the Tea Acts, the colonists responded to the impositions of the British by storming British ships and tossing 342 chests of tea into the water. This led to a British retaliation and the passage of the worst legislative acts, known as the Intolerable Acts. From 1775-1783, the American Revolutionary War took place, and resistance from the British were fueled dramatically when the colonists signed the Declaration of Independence in 1777. This led to the finalization of the first paradigm shift in American history, the winning of the war against the British and the ratification of the United States

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