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Thomas Kuhn (1922–1996)

The English idiom of a "paradigm shift" came from his 1962 book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. So it's obviously been influential.

Kuhn made several claims concerning the progress of scientific knowledge: that scientific fields undergo periodic "paradigm shifts" rather than solely progressing in a linear and continuous way, and that these paradigm shifts open up new approaches to understanding what scientists would never have considered valid before; and that the notion of scientific truth, at any given moment, cannot be established solely by objective criteria but is defined by a consensus of a scientific community. Competing paradigms are frequently incommensurable; that is, they are competing and irreconcilable accounts of reality. Thus, our comprehension of science can never rely wholly upon "objectivity" alone. Science must account for subjective perspectives as well, since all objective conclusions are ultimately founded upon the subjective conditioning/worldview of its researchers and participants.

Thomas Kuhn 2017-12-06 20-51-04

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Created (8 years ago)

Alfred Tarski (1901–1983)

One of the most recognized logicians, together with Kurt Gödel and Gottlob Frege.

A gifted lecturer. He had demanding standards for his students, but could be very encouraging, particularly to women, which was unusual for the time.

The Litany of Tarski goes like so:

  1. If the box contains a diamond,
  2. I desire to believe that the box contains a diamond;
  3. If the box does not contain a diamond,
  4. I desire to believe that the box does not contain a diamond;
  5. Let me not become attached to beliefs I may not want.

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Created (8 years ago)
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