A Discussion on Thomas S. Kuhn’s Notion of Paradigm and Atwood’s Machine

Abstract

In this study, it will be investigated on Kuhn’s allegation “Without the Principia, measurements made with the Atwood machine would have meant nothing at all” that is included in his book “Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Kuhn acknowledges that in order to understand the nature of science, it needs to examine the history of science. So, Kuhn often refers to examples from the history of science in order to support his views on scientific development. One of the examples that Kuhn used to explain the relation and the importance of the notions of Paradigm and Normal Science is the invention of Atwood’s machine. According to Kuhn, Atwood’s machine was invented as a result of a scientific activity directed by Principia as a paradigm and it has been able to prove Newton’s Second Law through this instrument. However some sources, unlike Kuhn, allege that Atwood’s machine had not been invented to prove Newton’s Second Law but it had been invented as a result of the studies related to Galileo’s Law of Free Fall. In this case, Kuhn’s claim has become extremely controversial.