Difference between revisions of "Paradigm"

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A '''paradigm''' is a framework of rules and theories that follow a distinct pattern (the word paradigm actually comes from the Greek word for pattern). Throughout history, paradigms have changed in events referred to as '''paradigm shifts.''' An example of a paradigm shift would be the promotion by [[Galileo]] of a [[heliocentric]] solar system, versus the common paradigm of a [[geocentric]] solar system. Paradigm shifts are often met with resistance, as many become stuck in '''paradigm paralysis.'''  In this case, the Roman Catholic church condemned Galileo's findings and forced him to recant his position that the [[sun]] is the fixed center of the universe<ref>[http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-galileo-controversy Catholic Answers Tracts: The Galileo Controvery]. Galileo believed ''and insisted'' that the sun was not just the fixed center of the solar system but the fixed center of the universe. Science has proved him wrong. The sun is not only not the center of the universe, but it moves. See also<br>[http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/Philosophy/axioms/axioms/node63.html Galileo and St. Bellarmine (phy.duke.edu)]<br>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/horizon/sept98/galileo.htm Two Views of the Universe: Galileo vs. the Pope. By Hal Hellman, special to the Washington Post, Wednesday, September 9, 1998] In 1616 Galileo had been warned that his support of a sun-centered universe could bring trouble.</ref>.  Galileo's Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment is another example of a scientists encountering resistance due to preconceived societal notions (the experiment disproved [[Aristotle]]'s theory of gravity which declared that objects fall at a speed relative to their mass).
A '''paradigm''' is a way of thinking constrained by overarching theories, assumptions and ways of doing things. A simple example is cutting off the ends of the meatloaf before putting it in the pan, in accordance with an old family recipe. The husband asked his wife why she did it; she asked her mother, who asked the grandmother, who said that the great-grandmother didn't have a large enough pan.
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A more poignant example is given by Stephen Covey in ''The Seven Habits of Successful People''. He was riding in a subway car when a man and his children entered. They children ran around the car disturbing other passengers, snatching newspapers out of their hands, etc. With what he thought was great restraint, Covey asked the man if he would control his children better. The man said that he supposed he should but he didn't know what or how ... he had just come from the hospital where his wife had died an hour ago. Covey's attitude towards the man and his children changed '''instantly'''. This is a "paradigm shift"
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*The term refers to the relatively routine work of scientists experimenting within a paradigm, slowly accumulating detail in accord with established broad theory, not actually challenging or attempting to test the underlying assumptions of that theory.
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In the ''Structure of Scientific Revolutions'', [[Kuhn]] asserts that there are paradigms under which a scientific community operates. Someone working within the paradigm makes certain assumptions and fails to question those basic assumptions to the point that he or she is not even aware they exist. [http://www.physics.uncc.edu/physstaff/mhdancy/papers/Dancy_gender.pdf]
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==Paradigm shift==
 
==Paradigm shift==
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Kuhn had a theory about the history of science which denied the existence of scientific progress, and which denied the rationality of scientists switching from one theory to another. He popularized the term "paradigm shift" to describe such a switch.
 
Kuhn had a theory about the history of science which denied the existence of scientific progress, and which denied the rationality of scientists switching from one theory to another. He popularized the term "paradigm shift" to describe such a switch.
  
[[category:philosophy]]
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==Paradigm Paralysis==
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A paradigm paralysis occurs when individuals refuse to accept a paradigm shift.  Often, this can have devastating results, especially in the business world.  A famous example is the rise of the quartz movement wristwatch.  In 1967, Swiss watchmakers displayed the first model of a quartz movement watch.  Despite being more accurate, cheaper, and less intricate than their mechanical counterparts, the Swiss refused to change their method of watchmaking.  In 1969, the Japanese company Seiko released the first commercially available quartz movement watch.  The watch proved popular enough that as of 2010, nearly 95% of all watches use quartz movement in the design.  The Swiss' failure to adopt to the new paradigm of quartz movement instead of mechanical movement devastated the watch industry of Switzerland. 
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== References ==
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{{reflist}}
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== See also ==
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*[[Credibility]]
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[[Category:Philosophy]]

Latest revision as of 19:01, September 26, 2018

A paradigm is a framework of rules and theories that follow a distinct pattern (the word paradigm actually comes from the Greek word for pattern). Throughout history, paradigms have changed in events referred to as paradigm shifts. An example of a paradigm shift would be the promotion by Galileo of a heliocentric solar system, versus the common paradigm of a geocentric solar system. Paradigm shifts are often met with resistance, as many become stuck in paradigm paralysis. In this case, the Roman Catholic church condemned Galileo's findings and forced him to recant his position that the sun is the fixed center of the universe[1]. Galileo's Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment is another example of a scientists encountering resistance due to preconceived societal notions (the experiment disproved Aristotle's theory of gravity which declared that objects fall at a speed relative to their mass).

Paradigm shift

MSN's Encarta defines a paradigm shift as "a radical change in somebody's basic assumptions about or approach to something."[1]. The term paradigm shift was introduced by Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy wrote the following regarding Kuhn's concept of the paradigm shift:

"A mature science, according to Kuhn, experiences alternating phases of normal science and revolutions. In normal science the key theories, instruments, values and metaphysical assumptions that comprise the disciplinary matrix are kept fixed, permitting the cumulative generation of puzzle-solutions, whereas in a scientific revolution the disciplinary matrix undergoes revision, in order to permit the solution of the more serious anomalous puzzles that disturbed the preceding period of normal science." [2]

Kuhn had a theory about the history of science which denied the existence of scientific progress, and which denied the rationality of scientists switching from one theory to another. He popularized the term "paradigm shift" to describe such a switch.

Paradigm Paralysis

A paradigm paralysis occurs when individuals refuse to accept a paradigm shift. Often, this can have devastating results, especially in the business world. A famous example is the rise of the quartz movement wristwatch. In 1967, Swiss watchmakers displayed the first model of a quartz movement watch. Despite being more accurate, cheaper, and less intricate than their mechanical counterparts, the Swiss refused to change their method of watchmaking. In 1969, the Japanese company Seiko released the first commercially available quartz movement watch. The watch proved popular enough that as of 2010, nearly 95% of all watches use quartz movement in the design. The Swiss' failure to adopt to the new paradigm of quartz movement instead of mechanical movement devastated the watch industry of Switzerland.

References

  1. Catholic Answers Tracts: The Galileo Controvery. Galileo believed and insisted that the sun was not just the fixed center of the solar system but the fixed center of the universe. Science has proved him wrong. The sun is not only not the center of the universe, but it moves. See also
    Galileo and St. Bellarmine (phy.duke.edu)
    Two Views of the Universe: Galileo vs. the Pope. By Hal Hellman, special to the Washington Post, Wednesday, September 9, 1998 In 1616 Galileo had been warned that his support of a sun-centered universe could bring trouble.

See also