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Paradigm Shift

A fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline.

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Origin

Coined by physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Kuhn argued that science does not progress by steady accumulation but through periodic upheavals in which one paradigm is replaced by another, drawing on historical case studies from Copernicus to Lavoisier.

Updated February 22, 2026