Fleck, Ludwik
Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact
Outline of this Guide
- Overview Information
- Focus Sections
- Social Study of Knowledge
- Bibliography
- Related Web Links
Overview
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Thomas Samuel Kuhn
[Britannica Entry]
(1922-1996) American historian of science.
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Most noted for concepts of paradigm shifts and scientific revolutions.
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His work was a formative influence on the emerging field of the Social
Study of Knowledge.
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Kuhn's work became prominent to some degree because people sought to apply his
paradigm concepts (inappropriately) to fields outside natural sciences.
Focus Sections
- Chapter I. Introduction: A Role for History (pp. 1-9)
- Chapter I. The Route to Normal Science (pp. 10-22)
- Chapter VI. Anomaly and the Emergence of Scientific Discoveries (pp.
52-65)
- Chapter X. Revolutions as Changes of World View (pp. 111-135)
Social Study of Knowledge
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Beyond the concept of paradigms, Kuhn is perhaps most significant for his
underlying general contribution to the discussion of the authority of
science, and the social character of scientific advancement. Kuhn
maintained that the traditional notion of scientific progress (distinct
discoveries by individual scientists) was incorrect because real advances
only occur over a period of time in group interaction.
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He puts forward this thesis through the examination of particular cases,
such as the frequently cited discovery of oxygen in the early 1770s. He
concludes that oxygen emerged as a concept during the course of a
variety of very different experiments between 1774 and 1777 by several
scientists, and cannot properly be attributed to discovery by an
individual such as Priestley or Lavoisier. The concept of oxygen did
not exist before this period, and emerged from the interacting group
endeavors during this period.
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Science's special claim to authoritative knowledge is usually attributed
to a rule-governed method for obtaining accurate observations of a
foundational reality, rather than the social interaction of
practitioners. By situating scientific advances in the realm of social
interaction, Kuhn put forward a significant articulation of the social
foundation of science.
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Kuhn's book was cast in terms of historiography, but has received much
more attention in the areas of philosophy of science and sociological
studies of science. [Gutting, 1980]
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Structure has caused a great deal of turmoil in philosophy of science
since its appearance, particularly in the Anglo-American tradition of
that discipline. Hoyningen-Huene has identified the key set of
challenges which Kuhn raised for philosophers of science, and (despite
varied counter-attacks) has had major influence on empirical concepts in
this discipline. [Hoyningen-Huene, 1998]
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Kuhn's work was seen from the beginning by many as a bridge between
Anglo-American philosophy of science and French theorists such as
Foucault and Habermas. [Gutting, 1979]
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Among sociologists, Structure was one of the most influential works in
the genesis of the current strong sociological studies of scientific
knowledge, and is still defended as a core work in this area. [Barker,
1998]
Bibliography
Cohen, Robert S., and Thomas Schnelle. (Editors) Cognition and Fact : Materials on
Ludwik Fleck.
Dordrecht: Reidel Pub. Co., 1986.
Zajicek, G.
"Ludwik Fleck: founder of the philosophy of modern medicine (editorial),"
in The Cancer Journal (Volume 5, Number 6, 1992).
Related Links