In this seminal work, Thomas Kuhn(1922-1996), argues that science has little to do with experimentation and the impartial collection and analysis of data. Instead he argues that it has more to do with social and non-rational factors such as, accident and subjectivity. The primary activity of most scientists, he says, is doing "mop up work."
In the end, we may have to give up the notion of progress or truth in the sciences.
Timestamps:
00:26 The text
00:50 Key concepts
01:12 Kuhn as historian of science
03:06 The story we have been told-scientific progress
04:29 Historicism
05:29 A new image of science
05:53 Subjectivity, accident and peculiarity
06:21 Conclusions are determined by scientists' circumstances
07:00 Competing hypotheses are all scientific but also incommensurable
09:08 Arbitrariness is a formidable component
09:58 Mature science institutionalizes itself
11:14 Normal science-squeezing nature into conceptual boxes
13:27 Sometimes normal science reveals anomalies
14:11 A revolutionary stage arises
15:38 The new theory is never incremental
16:37 Chapter 2: More on normal science
17:18 A critical text is written
18:53 How do we prepare the next generation of scientists
19:50 What of an isolated student collecting data?
22:59 Nature of normal science-mopping up
26:12 What about students of science
27:32 Incompatible modes of community life
29:59 Changing paradigms
31:54 Competition of paradigms are not subject to argument
33:35 The language of open-mindedness must go
34:45 Religious language
36:10 Does science progress through revolutions?
38:21 Progress is a subjective notion
40:03 Science and politics
42:44 Is science about truth?
42:59 The concept of truth
Philosophers, Explained covers major philosophers and texts, especially the great classics. In each episode, Professor Hicks discusses an important work, doing a close reading that lasts 40 minutes to an hour.
The playlist of current videos can found here: • Philosophers Explained
Stephen R. C. Hicks, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, USA, and has had visiting positions at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., University of Kasimir the Great in Poland, Oxford University’s Harris Manchester College in England, and Jagiellonian University in Poland.
Other links:
Explaining Postmodernism audiobook: • Explaining Postmoderni...
Nietzsche and the Nazis audiobook: • Nietzsche and the Nazi...
Playlists:
Education Theory: • Education Theory
Entrepreneurship and Values: • Entrepreneurship and V...
Nietzsche: • Nietzsche