Thomas Kuhn

Thomas Kuhn (1921-1996) was an American philosopher of science who trained in physics, but went on to write The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, a work which revolutionized the philosophy of science and has become one of the most cited academic books of all time. The general thrust of the book is that science operates on the model of paradigms which are clung to until a scientific revolution or paradigm shift happens. As examples, the shift from Newtonian to Einsteinian physics is given, as well as the shift from pre-Darwinian to post-Darwinian biology.

Interestingly, many examples of pseudoscience are often described by their originators and promoters as just a forthcoming scientific revolution, and that those who are skeptical of such ideas as simply clinging to their old model (for example, advocates of intelligent design.