Thomas Kuhn on Incommensurability

One of the key concepts of Thomas Kuhn's philosophy is incommensurability. In this video, we first talk about the normal meaning of the word. Then we delve into Kuhn's use of it to describe the alleged phenomenon that there is no neutral standard of science, and to formulate his claim that all scientific paradigms have to be judged by their own standards. Finally, we look into the most controversial use Kuhn makes of the term, namely to claim that scientists in different paradigms cannot understand each other. Victor Gijsbers teaches philosophy at Leiden University in the Netherlands. You can follow him on mastodon: @[email protected].