260027 Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: Reading a classic, the classic way [*H*] (S) (SoSe 2026)

This course examines central questions and contested issues in modern philosophy of science through a sustained, intensive engagement with Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (SSR), one of the most influential scholarly works of the twentieth century. First published in 1962, Kuhn’s book marked a decisive tipping point in how science, progress, rationality, objectivity, and knowledge are understood—not only in philosophy, but across the human and social sciences more broadly. It is now difficult to make sense of contemporary debates in the philosophy of science without first grappling seriously with Kuhn’s ideas.
The seminar starts by situating SSR in the intellectual climate of mid-twentieth-century philosophy of science. This is followed by a slow, close, cover-to-cover reading of SSR, unpacking Kuhn’s arguments step by step and paying particular attention to his concepts of ‘normal science,’ ‘anomaly,’ ‘crisis,’ ‘revolution,’ and ‘paradigm,’ among others, as well as the revisions and clarifications Kuhn introduced in later editions. Then, the seminar turns to the shockwaves the publication of SSR generated. We will examine major responses and alternatives developed by influential philosophers of science such as Karl Popper, Imre Lakatos, Paul Feyerabend, and Larry Laudan. Through these critiques and developments, we will explore how Kuhn’s work reshaped the field with lasting impact up to these days. We will investigate questions such as: What distinguishes science from pseudoscience? Are scientific revolutions rational or political events? Does science really progress, and if so, in what sense? How do values, communities, and historical context shape what scientists take to be true? What is the relationship between philosophy, history, and sociology of science?
IMPORTANT: In an academic culture that increasingly privileges speed, skimming, and AI-generated summaries—and in which many of us are simply exhausted from constant screen exposure—this seminar is intentionally organized around the rather countercultural practice of reading a book with sustained, offline attention. In this sense, the course is also an exercise in temporarily emancipating ourselves from screens and returning to slow, careful, embodied reading. In order to do so, students are required to acquire a physical copy of the 50th Anniversary Edition of Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2012 (the price is about €15). To support focused, screen-free discussion, students are required to bring the book, along with pen and paper for taking notes, to every meeting.

Requirements for participation, required level

Abschluss des ersten Studienjahres (beide Grundkurse, Philosophischer Einstieg und Philosophisches Schreiben), sofern Sie den Kurs nicht als Handwerksseminar besuchen.