Thomas Kuhn's Revolutions: A Historical and an Evolutionary Philosophy of Science

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This new edition of Thomas Kuhns Revolution marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Kuhns most influential work. Drawing on the rich archival sources at MIT, and engaging fully with current scholarship, James Marcum provides the historical background to the development of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Exploring the shift Kuhn makes from a historical to an evolutionary philosophy of science and examining Kuhns legacy in depth, Marcum answers key questions: What exactly was Kuhn's historiographic revolution and how did it come about Why did it have the impact it did What will its future impact be for both academia and society Marcums answers build a new portrait of Kuhn: his personality, his pedagogical style and the intellectual and social context in which he practiced his trade. Thomas Kuhns Revolution shows how Kuhn transcends the boundaries of the philosophy of science, influencing sociologists, economists, theologians and even policy makers and politicians. This is a comprehensive historical and conceptual introduction to the man who changed our understanding of science.

Reviews

A valuable resource for Kuhn scholars and all those interested specifically in a contextualization of Structure of Scientific Revolutions or searching for a comprehensive overview of the secondary literature on Kuhn in philosophy and beyond. * Metascience *
Marcum has masterfully captured Kuhns contributions to philosophy and history of science with useful biographical information, insightful interpretations, and resourceful selection of the vast secondary literature on Kuhn and the wide impact of his thinking. Simply, Thomas Kuhns Revolutions is a noteworthy study and will serve as one of the key texts for placing Kuhn in his intellectual context. -- Alfred I. Tauber, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, and Zoltan Kohn Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Boston University, USA
Thomas Kuhns The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is the most important work in the philosophy of science in the twentieth century. James Marcums is simply the best book that has ever been written on Kuhns thinking, both in Structure and in writings before and after. It is fair-minded, clearly written, comprehensive, and with enough of a critical edge that you want to go on studying Kuhn and seeing how he still applies to issues that concern us. This is the book we have been waiting for. -- Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University, USA
Kuhn's Structure is a modern classic and yet its genesis has not so far had the attention it deserves. James Marcums book fulfils magnificently this lacuna giving us not only the rich details of how the book came to be written but also its intellectual and wider contributions, its impact and the criticism it received. The authors personal connection to Kuhn and the focus on Kuhns personality make the reading all the more enjoyable. -- Vasso Kindi, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Athens, Greece

Author Bio

James Marcum teaches philosophy at Baylor University, USA. He has doctorates in philosophy and physiology, and was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT, where he studied philosophy of science with Kuhn. He was also an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, USA.