Thomas Kuhn’s Philosophical Perspective: Communities, Languages, and Practices

This book examines the philosophical perspective of Thomas Kuhn, developed through dialectical opposition to the traditional static view of science. Kuhn’s dynamic perspective led him to turn to the history of science, formulate a history-based model of scientific progress, and adopt a collectivist, community-oriented, and practice-based conception of scientific rationality.

The book reconstructs Kuhn’s philosophy by drawing on both his pre- and post-Structure writings, while also comparing his ideas with those of other major thinkers such as Rudolf Carnap and W.V.O. Quine. It further addresses meta-philosophical issues concerning the study of collective scientific practice and the relationship between the philosophy of science and qualitative, social, or ethnographic approaches to scientific communities.

Not only does the author reassess Kuhn’s philosophical framework, but he also extends it to contemporary issues such as scientific specialization, interdisciplinarity, and the role of values in science--making this volume valuable both for Kuhn scholars and for readers new to his work.

Vincenzo Politi earned a Phd in Philosophy at the University of Bristol, where he pursued a project about Thomas Kuhn’s post- Structure philosophy. He has held research positions in Mexico City, Paris, Oslo, and Barcelona, where he is currently working on issues about science, values, and society.