Paradigm shift

The concept introduced by Thomas Samuel Kuhn (1922-1996), in his The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) denoting one of the two phases in the development of sciences. In the first phase, the one of 'normal' science, scientists work within a set of accepted norms and test hypotheses in terms of existing theories. Gradually, anomalous facts accumulate and generate questions that cannot be answered in terms of the current approach - and a period of 'revolutionary' science ensures. This revolution brings about a 'paradigm shift' - a new way of explaining and investigating scientific phenomena. But in time, this new paradigm generates other anomalies and other questions, and another shift begins.