Skip to main content
Is science becoming less disruptive over time?
Are ‘paradigm shifts’ on the wane? And what does this tell us about the way science is conducted ask ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and JOEL HELLEWELL
PARADIGM SHIFTS: (L to R) The human DNA model takes on a double helix shape, 2016; Portrait Nicolaus Copernicus Torun Town Hall, 1580, unknown artist

IN 1962 the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn published the book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

In it he claimed that science progressed through a series of revolutions in scientific knowledge for which he coined the term “paradigm shifts.” 

These paradigm shifts were radical new ideas and knowledge that subverted the previous understanding in a field of science and set it on an entirely new path.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
POISON: Centivax workers study antivenom to counteract the bites of various snakes at the company lab in San Francisco
Science and Society / 7 May 2025
7 May 2025

A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY / 22 April 2025
22 April 2025

Science has always been mixed up with money and power, but as a decorative facade for megayachts, it risks leaving reality behind altogether, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT

(Left) Human embryonic stem cells; (right) A patient after i
Features / 26 March 2025
26 March 2025
A small Japanese trial has reported some positive results for stem cell therapy to treat spinal-cord injuries
MORE THAN A WATERWAY: The Agua Clara (Clear Water) locks on
Science and Society / 12 March 2025
12 March 2025
Man-made canals like Panama and Suez face unprecedented challenges from extreme weather patterns and geopolitical tensions that reveal the fragility of our global trade networks, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Similar stories
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY / 22 April 2025
22 April 2025

Science has always been mixed up with money and power, but as a decorative facade for megayachts, it risks leaving reality behind altogether, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT

GROUP SUPREMACY: Alois Alzheimer (standing third from right)
Science and Society / 11 February 2025
11 February 2025
Fraud in Alzheimer’s research raises difficult questions about the current state of science, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Full Marx / 29 July 2024
29 July 2024
Most phenomena have an explanation, writes the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY, but occasionally ‘anomalous’ events have led to new scientific understanding
ANCIENT KNOW-HOW, PLANNING AND TEAM EFFORT: (L to R) Bridge
Science and Society / 19 June 2024
19 June 2024
Although the study of ants can be interpreted to suit any political or philosophical argument it can fuel organisational imagination, write Rox Middleton, Liam Shaw and Miriam Gauntlett