Kuhn

I've been reading Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions for another course, and thought it is speaking of science, it has much to say about what we are doing in cultural studies as well. Here's what I wrote for my other class:

In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn identifies paradigms as a key element in scientific discovery. According to this premise, it is not until a scientist has put forth a theory and it has been accepted by a sufficient number of his peers as reliable, that other scientists are able to progress in this field, solving problems posed by the paradigm, while keeping to the rules that this paradigm establishes. A paradigm is discovered when a crises point is reached; a scientist is unable to solve a critical mass of problems when using the old paradigm. By investigating these anomalies, a new paradigm is theorized and, once accepted, the cycle begins again. The old paradigm is not discarded until the new one is established, because without the rules set by the paradigm, science cannot be practiced. Indeed, Kuhn posits, paradigms are a prerequisite to perception. What we see is what we have been taught to see. This model holds true for the studies of humanities, as well. Once a scholar has learned a new theory, a new angle from which to consider her data, she is free to discard the old paradigm that has held her to its rules, and to view the world from a fresh perspective.
Kuhn's description of the scientific process echoes what we have been doing in class. These new paradigms (or theorys in cultural studies) are developed by thinkers when questions can't be answered following the old paradigms.As we begin to accept a new paradigm, we also begin to change our interaction with others.