Interpreting Kuhn
Critical Essays

Interpreting Kuhn provides a comprehensive, up-to-date study of Thomas Kuhn's philosophy and legacy.

K. Brad Wray (Edited by)

9781108498296, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 July 2021

288 pages
23.5 x 16 x 2 cm, 0.53 kg

'This collection sits at a perfect academic sweet spot: it is an excellent resource for advanced students and researchers who want to quickly get up to speed on the current state of the literature on Kuhn (1922–96), and it contributes meaningfully and importantly to the history of science … Required reading for scholars of the philosophy of science … Essential.' R. C. Robinson, Choice Connect

Interpreting Kuhn provides a comprehensive, up-to-date study of Thomas Kuhn's philosophy and legacy. With twelve essays newly written by an international group of scholars, it covers a wide range of topics where Kuhn had an influence. Part I deals with foundational issues such as Kuhn's metaphysical assumptions, his relationship to Kant and Kantian philosophy, as well as contextual influences on his writing, including Cold War psychology and art. Part II tackles three Kuhnian concepts: normal science, incommensurability, and scientific revolutions. Part III deals with the Copernican Revolution in astronomy, the theory-ladenness of observation, scientific discovery, Kuhn's evolutionary analogies, and his theoretical monism. The volume is an ideal resource for advanced students seeking an overview of Kuhn's philosophy, and for specialists following the development of Kuhn scholarship.

Introduction: The Road Ahead in Kuhn Scholarship K. Brad Wray
Part I. Foundational Issues: 1. The Genealogy of Thomas Kuhn's Metaphysics Paul Hoyningen-Huene
2. Kuhn's Kantian Dimensions Lydia Patton
3. A Public Intellectual and a Private Scholar: On Thomas Kuhn, James B. Conant, and the Place of History and Philosophy of Science in Postwar America George A. Reisch
4. Kuhn and Logical Positivism: On the Image of Science and the Image of Philosophy J. C. Pinto de Oliveira
Part II. Three Core Concepts: 5. Mop-Up Work William Goodwin
6. Kuhn and the Varieties of Incommensurability William J. Devlin
7. Reassessing the Notion of a Kuhnian Revolution: What Happened in Twentieth-Century Chemistry. A Commentary on Wray's Claim of the Discovery of Atomic Number as a Revolution in Chemistry Eric R. Scerri
Part III. Kuhnian Themes: 8. The Copernican Revolution Since Kuhn Peter Barker
9. Kuhn, the Duck and the Rabbit – Perception, Theory-Ladenness and Creativity in Science Vasso Kindi
10. Kuhn on Scientific Discovery as Endogenous Thomas Nickles
11. Truth, Incoherence and the Evolution of Science Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen
12. Reassessing Kuhn's Theoretical Monism: Addressing the Pluralists' Challenge K. Brad Wray.

Subject Areas: Philosophy of science [PDA], Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge [HPK], Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology [HPJ]