Why did Kuhn’s ideas cause such a storm? Because in addition to his descriptive claims about the history of science, Kuhn advanced some controversial philosophical theses. Ordinarily we assume that when scientists trade their existing theory for a new one, they do so on the basis of evidence. But Kuhn argued that adopting a new paradigm involves a certain act of faith on the part of the scientist. He allowed that a scientist could have good reasons for abandoning an old paradigm for a new one, but he insisted that reasons alone could never rationally compel a paradigm shift. ‘The transfer of allegiance from paradigm to paradigm’, Kuhn wrote, ‘is a conversion experience which cannot be forced.’ And in explaining why a new paradigm rapidly gains acceptance in the scientific community, Kuhn emphasized the peer pressure of scientists on one another. If a given paradigm has very forceful advocates, it is more likely to win widespread acceptance.
Sayfa 77 - Oxford University Press
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Undergoing a 'conversion experience', or allowing oneself to be persuaded by the most forceful of one’s fellow scientists, hardly seems like a rational way to behave. One critic wrote that on Kuhn’s account, theory choice in science was 'a matter for mob psychology'.
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