Contemporary Society - Evolving Global Information Infrastructure and Information Transfer - page 13

ent worldview; that is, the reality we perceive and how the world works. It can be
best described as theories, concepts, values, methods, and perspectives.
Paradigms give us a general perspective of the world and a way of coping with
the complexities of life. They provide us with an intellectual framework: what re-
search should we pursue, what is true, real, important, legitimate, and reasonable.
It is the lens through which we see a reality.
Fundamentally Kuhn analyzes how scientific revolutions occur. He proposes
a paradigm shift sequence: existing paradigm, normal science, anomalies, crisis
stage, revolutionary stage, and new paradigm (see Figure 2.1). Normal science is
research that builds on past scientific achievements and is accepted by a scientific
community and directs its practice, using the same rules and research standards.
During the normal science stage, a consensus exists that guides research in a sci-
entific community. Normal science is a puzzle-solving activity. The crisis stage oc-
curs when anomalies are produced, often inadvertently, and the scientific commu-
nity realizes they violate expectations posed by the existing paradigm. This even-
tually leads the community to a new set of practices and commitments; a recon-
struction of the field takes place.
Figure 2.1 Thomas Kuhn's Conception of a Paradigm Shift