Study Questions for Chalmers, Chapter 8

  1. What is the author’s main point/purpose?
  2. Why are theoretical frameworks important? Why are they necessary? What do they compensate for? What is the author asserting in his discussion of frameworks?
  3. According to Kuhn, how does science progress generally?
  4. What is a paradigm?
  5. Why does Kuhn assert that a single paradigm is important to the progress of science?
  6. What does Kuhn mean by “crises” in paradigms? What is the end result?
  7. Is it possible to adhere to more than one paradigm? If not, can a person switch from one to another?
  8. How is Kuhn’s theory not solely descriptive according to the author?
  9. How does Kuhn coincide and/or deviate from Popper’s assertions?
  10. What is “revolution?”
  11. According to the author, what are the two kinds of knowledge that Kuhn confuses? What is the point of this as a conclusion to the chapter?
  12. How does Kuhn’s hypothesis relate to the study of contemporary American politics?

Things to look for/keep in mind for future readings:

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