Environmental Ethics and Land Management http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120 What is a Paradigm Shift? (Part 1) Timothy C. Weiskel 7 September 2011 Class Discussion Session – Week 2 Harvard Extension School Fall Semester 2011
A paradigm shift is a change in outlook or worldview. It is, effectively, a total change in perspective. In any field of science a paradigm shift represents a radical transformation of the framework within which individual empirical observations and broader theoretical assertions are interpreted and understood. Tim Weiskel - 2
Three Examples of Paradigm Shift 1. Galileo and the shift from a Terracentric to a Heliocentric World. 2. Plate Tectonics and the move from “Acts of God” to Earth System Dynamics. 3. From the Growth Paradigm to the Sustainability Paradigm in World Agriculture – Beyond the “Green” Revolution. Tim Weiskel - 3
The Insight of Thomas Kuhn… This is the 50 th anniversary of the publication of Thomas Kuhn’s important work.… Its insights are crucial for understanding the history of modern science… Celebrations are planned for 2012. Tim Weiskel - 4
Case 1 Galileo’s “Blasphemy” Galileo and the shift from a Terracentric to a Heliocentric World. Tim Weiskel - 5
Europeans and Chinese had long mapped the striking “evidence” of the morphological relatedness of continents. Tim Weiskel - 6
Case 2 The Plate Tectonic Paradigm Shift Tim Weiskel - 7
Alfred Wegener with his theory of “continental drift” and the subsequent development of “Plate Tectonics” allowed humans to move from observing “Acts of God” to exam instead “earth system dynamics.” Tim Weiskel - 8
Tim Weiskel - 9
Case 3 From the Growth Paradigm to the Sustainability Paradigm Tim Weiskel - 10
Three Examples of Paradigm Shift 1. Galileo and the shift from a Terracentric to a Heliocentric World – Cosmic science. 2. Plate Tectonics and the shift from “Acts of God” to Earth System Science. 3. [Case 3 to be completed in “What is a Paradigm Shift?” (part 2), in next week’s Discussion Session.] Tim Weiskel - 11
Three Examples of Paradigm Shift 1. Galileo and the shift from a Terracentric to a Heliocentric World – Cosmic science. [Now universally accepted.] 2. Plate Tectonics and the shift from “Acts of God” to Earth System Science. [Publicly accepted . Still contested in pre-scientific circles…] 3. [Case 3 to be completed in “What is a Paradigm Shift?” (part 2), in next week’s Discussion Session.] Tim Weiskel - 12
Environmental Ethics and Land Management http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120 What is a Paradigm Shift? (Part 1) Timothy C. Weiskel 7 September 2011 Class Discussion Session – Week 2 Harvard Extension School Fall Semester 2011
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