Changes of paradigms in biology and medicine
pp. 161-169
in: Robert Zwilling (ed), Natural sciences and human thought, Berlin, Springer, 1995Abstract
Among both laymen and active scientists, the opinion prevails that the development of science occurs predominantly by the accumulation of knowledge and a gradual improvement in the picture of nature due to the application of new methods and techniques. The breakthroughs, such as the "big bang" theory in cosmology or the deciphering of the biological code in the life sciences, are treated as rare exceptions. However, a closer scrutiny of almost any scientific discipline points to a non-continuous process of development and the appearance of paradigms which are constantly subjected to verification, as postulated by Kuhn [9] in the original theory of 'scientific revolutions". As observed by Zycinski [13], great scientific revolutions shaking the foundation of the whole of science are very rare indeed in contrast to mini- or microrevolutions concerning some fields of science (e.g. physics) or disciplines (e.g. nuclear physics).