The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

By: Thomas S. Kuhn

Narrated by: Dennis Holland

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A good book may have the power to change the way we see the world, but a great book actually becomes part of our daily consciousness, pervading our thinking to the point that we take it for granted, and we forget how provocative and challenging its ideas once were - and still are. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that kind of book. When it was first published in 1962, it was a landmark event in the history and philosophy of science. Fifty years later, it still has many lessons to teach.

With The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn challenged long-standing linear notions of scientific progress, arguing that transformative ideas don't arise from the day-to-day, gradual process of experimentation and data accumulation but that the revolutions in science, those breakthrough moments that disrupt accepted thinking and offer unanticipated ideas, occur outside of "normal science", as he called it. Though Kuhn was writing when physics ruled the sciences, his ideas on how scientific revolutions bring order to the anomalies that amass over time in research experiments are still instructive in our biotech age.

Note: This new edition of Kuhn's essential work in the history of science includes an insightful introduction by Ian Hacking, which clarifies terms popularized by Kuhn, including paradigm and incommensurability, and applies Kuhn's ideas to the science of today.

©1996 The University of Chicago (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A landmark in intellectual history which has attracted attention far beyond its own immediate field." ( Science)

"Perhaps the best explanation of [the] process of discovery." ( New York Times Book Review)

Awesome book. Narrator wasn’t great.

The book is great. Highly recommended. The narrator admittedly wasn’t great BUT the book is still worth it in my opinion. I plan on keeping it in my library.

Great survey!

So many revealing details about how things happened, that add up to a solid foundation.

food for thought for the modern scientist

Overall the premise is interesting and as a physicist and applied mathematician I agree with many aspects and of, course, disagree with some of his examples and conclusions. I do have a predisposition to not like to talk about philosophy mixed with science, but this was an excellent mix.

I especially disagree with most of the forward that I listened to, I almost stopped listening because of the forward, but glad I skipped to the actual book before stopping.

Although the book was written about 60 years ago, I think it elucidates, great word by the way, many current problems in the sciences today. In particular, the sciences seem to have become far too specialized, and in my opinion incapable of creating revolutions based on the books description of revolutions and paradigms. This is exacerbated by non scientist interjecting into scientific debate without appropriate knowledge of the paradigms as described in this book.

This should be at least read, thought about and debated by all prospective scientists, or even non scientists who want to get involved in science debates.

critical for understanding differing belief system

Khun's breakdown of scientific communities, what they constitute, and how their beliefs are changed impacts more than just scientists. this is an important read for anyone who regularly interacts with others with opposing viewpoints, or who wants to advance a differing worldview

Awesome book, BAD NARRATOR!

It really is a great book, but the narrator does an amazing job at destroying it by an awful reading and lots of pauses, pauses everywhere, even if you use 1.5x it is extremely painful to listen.

Important Book

This is an important book. And it is hard to read on paper. It is even harder to absorb in audio. I think all scientists should read this book. But it takes a lot of focused attention no matter how you do it.

A classic for any scientist or science educator

Reading this book was a requirement for a graduate course that I am taking. I read this book and then listened to it to reinforce what I had read.

Thomas Kuhn has changed the way that scientists, historians of science, and philosophers of science look at the development of science. The traditional view of the progress of science has been as development-by-accumulation in which achievements, theories, facts, and methods are accumulated as scientific knowledge. This is the way that science is often explained in science textbooks.
Kuhn believes this is not correct. Rather, that our society’s scientific knowledge has been built through a series of scientific revolutions. Beginning with theories that create paradigms that define the science and in which scientists work in "normal science" until an anomaly is found which causes a crisis and extraordinary scientists then create new theories which create new paradigms.

It is difficult to listen to a book like this in audio.
In this instance, the reader has a nice voice but can't possibly have any clue about what he was reading. This was a negative about listening to the book. Pauses, lilting of the voice, etc. in places that they should not be. I found myself thinking - how would I have read that sentence?

Whenever possible, a book like this should be read by the author OR a someone who is very knowledgeable about the works of the author.

Not a single unnecessary word

This book is simply excellent from start to end, it is engaging, well reasoned, well structured and explained idea. I often have to go through a book to find the one central idea to it, but here it was absolutely clear from start to end and author simply discussed all possible view points to see the idea from. My highest recommendation. As for the performance, I think it was very adequate to the text at just about the right speed for your brain to absorb the ideas and without lulling you to sleep as so many scientific books do.

A Colleague Once Told Me

I’ve been meaning to get to this book for years. I’ve always been interested. Then around 15 years ago a Colleague told me that reading it is a mandatory part of being an educated person.

I can see why she would say that. It is a classic in the history of science and it does provide the language and ideas we use in our educated discourse.

I’m glad I’ve finally gotten through it. I highly recommend this book.

Another Mannered Reading of a Great Book

Kuhn's impact is widely recognized. There's no complaining there.

Holland? Think of the phony urgent VoiceOver to a sex education film you saw when you were twelve.
He simply fails as an actor attempting to perform "intelligence."

Like so many Audible readings of intellectually substantive materials - this arbitrarily mannered performance lacks the vaguest sort of contextual awareness. Dramatic intonations, pauses, emphases, subordinate clauses are unhinged from any comprehension of the simplest meanings of the text, and are - rather- motivated by an apparently clueless notion of providing "interesting" modulations that aim at conveying "knowledge." But it's just mindless emotive contrivance.

See: "vain toupeed high school english teacher" who was actually hired to coach golf.
Suffering through.

Hokey smokes Bullwinkle. Load the spitballs.