Thomas Kuhn and the Transfer of Knowledge in the Temporomandibular Disorders Field

Thomas Kuhn was one of the most influential philosophers of science in our time. In his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,1 he defends the idea that the biggest scientific advances occur when there is a shift of paradigm, what he called “scientific revolution.” He defined paradigm as “what the members of a scientific community share.” A scientific revolution would occur when scientists encounter “anomalies,” facts which cannot be explained by their actual paradigm.

1. Kuhn TS. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, ed 3. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

2. Hill AB. The environment and disease: Association or causation? Proc Roy Soc Med 1965;58:295–300.