Concept in Definition ABC

A paradigm is a model or pattern held in a discipline scientific or epistemological or, to diverse scale, in other contexts of a society.

The word "paradigm" comes from the Greek and means "model" or "example". The conception of paradigm dates from the late 1960s and refers to a specific model of thought or from interpretation entities that correspond to a given discipline and socio-historical context. In any case, the concept is broad and can refer to a model as complex as the explanation of a certain scientific phenomenon and something as informal and variable as the interpretation of the social relationships.
In either case, a paradigm supposes a certain understanding of things that promotes a form of think in particular over others.

For science, the idea of ​​paradigm is associated with that given by the scientist Thomas Kuhn in his book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions". For him, a paradigm is defined as that which must be observed and scrutinized; the type of questions that need to be asked to find answers around an objective; the structuring of these questions; and the interpretation of scientific results.

From this type of interpretation, the paradigm basically constitutes a model of how they should be carried out. scientific investigations and experiments, with the conception in mind that this model can replicate. However, in scientific practice a paradigm constitutes much more than a model. experimental, but also responds to the way in which agents in the scientific field understand, think and do science.
The same is true on a social scale. For example, in terms of how, at one point in history, societies understand the world in one way or another.

When you talk about "paradigm shift", then, reference is made to the evolution of thought that occurs in disciplines and societies throughout history and that promotes the emergence of a new prevailing model of thought.

Topics in Paradigm