Philosophy of science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy of science - Essay Example Kuhn considers paradigm as an important scientific tool that supports the continuation of a particular research. According to him, paradigm is a structure that contains the widely accepted views about phenomena. It has various roles in normal science. One of the roles of paradigm is the ability to determine what a researcher should study or research (Kuhn 43). This is role one of the guiding principles of paradigm as explained by the philosopher. This means that paradigm defines the existing problems while helping one find solutions to the problem. Knowing about the existing problems helps one to know what to study. The role is different from Popper’s falsification which holds that a research should dictate a paradigm because in normal science, the objective of the study is defined by paradigm. Kuhn claims that if one doubts the truth of the existing theories, it would be difficult for him to conduct any research. For instance, if a scientist is to research about a problem rel ated to atoms. She or she would be guided by the basic atomic paradigm such as the mass of the atom to solve the problem. If the researcher would doubt the existing theories about the mass of an atom, it would be difficult to provide the background of the problem. However, since a paradigm is already established, one does not have to focus on verifying the assumptions of the study as they are widely accepted. The other role of paradigm is that it guides a researcher on the types of research questions that should be used in a study.