Ideas from 'Reflections on my Critics' by Thomas S. Kuhn [1970], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge' (ed/tr Lakatos,I. /Musgrave,A.) [CUP 1974,0-521-09623-5]].

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3. Truth / H. Deflationary Truth / 2. Deflationary Truth
'Truth' may only apply within a theory
                        Full Idea: 'Truth' may, like 'proof', be a term with only intra-theoretic applications.
                        From: Thomas S. Kuhn (Reflections on my Critics [1970], §5)
                        A reaction: I think we can blame Tarski (via Quine, Kuhn's teacher) for this one. I take it to be an utter failure to grasp the meaning of the word 'truth' (and sneakily substituting 'satisfaction' for it). For a start, we have to compare theories on some basis.
14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 1. Scientific Theory
Kuhn came to accept that all scientists agree on a particular set of values
                        Full Idea: Kuhn later came to accept that there are five values to which scientists in all paradigms adhere: accuracy; consistency with accepted theories; broad scope; simplicity; and fruitfulness.
                        From: report of Thomas S. Kuhn (Reflections on my Critics [1970]) by Alexander Bird - Philosophy of Science Ch.8
                        A reaction: To shake off the relativism for which Kuhn is notorious, we should begin by asking the question WHY scientists favoured these particular values, rather than (say) bizarreness, consistency with Lewis Carroll, or alliteration. (They are epistemic virtues).
14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 5. Commensurability
In theory change, words shift their natural reference, so the theories are incommensurable
                        Full Idea: In transitions between theories words change their meanings or applicability. Though most of the signs are used before and after a revolution - force, mass, cell - the ways they attach to nature has changed. Successive theories are thus incommensurable.
                        From: Thomas S. Kuhn (Reflections on my Critics [1970], §6)
                        A reaction: A very nice statement of the view, from the horse's mouth. A great deal of recent philosophy has been implicitly concerned with meeting Kuhn's challenge, by providing an account of reference that doesn't have such problems.