Original scientific paper
PARADIGM AND COMPLEX THINKING
Zoran Primorac
; Faculty of Science and Education, University of Mostar
Andrej Ule
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana
Abstract
This text represents a part of a wider project that concerns the role of
prenotional complexes in creating paradigmatic theories, especially in
the history of physics.After analyzing certain texts; Aristotle’s, Galileo’s,
Newton’s and others, the existence of so called general complexes, which
have the role of regulation of the theory, was noticed. General complexes
function by the same mechanism as paradigms that Kuhn described in
his works. This work has an assignment to show that his concept of paradigm
is closely connected to general complex and complex thinking. Also,
one deeper analysis of the idea of paradigm itself that Kuhn determines in
his works has been done. We have come to the conclusion that he did not
understand the essence of paradigm, i. e. general complex, which led to
wandering both in defining of the concept and in application of the idea.
Kuhn had tried to define paradigm as a general notion or a matrix, which
is in fact impossible because of its nature, and as a consequence of that
concept of paradigm in his theory appears as a meta-complex. Misunderstanding
of the essence of paradigm will imply wrong interpretation of
the mechanism of general complex itself which, at the end, leads to wrong
conclusions which affect close concepts like revolutionary change of paradigm,
incommensurability of theories etc.
Keywords
complex; notional thinking; regulation of notional structures; paradigm; normal science; revolution; incommensurability.
Hrčak ID:
230085
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2008.
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