Key Turn: Recognizing The Emerging Paradigm by Lúcia de Melo.

equisteminternational
Feb 18, 2024
4 min read

Following the development of the imminent paradigmatic transformation in science since the end of the 20th century allows us to understand the philosophy of science. Understanding the concepts of ‘crisis of thought’ and the need for new views of reality and new ways of doing science is what unites the concepts worked on by Thomas Kuhn and Fritjof Capra.

Thomas Kuhn, an American physicist, played a major role in the philosophy of science by challenging the definition of scientific revolution in 1960. It was believed that science followed continuous growth while Kuhn proposed the theory that science proceeds in cycles: after 'normal science', a scientific 'revolution' occurs. There is still a path before normal science: Pre-science. It is the initial disorganization phase that is overcome when pairs are organized around specific methodologies. Normal science assumes what Thomas Kuhn calls a paradigm: a group of beliefs, norms, and values shared by a group of scientists in a given area. These values can refer to the laws of nature, theories, definitions, and projections, as

well as the way we formulate the questions that guide scientific research.

When science starts to be governed by a single paradigm it reaches its state

of maturity. A ‘normal scientist’ is unaware of the exact nature of his paradigm. In this

way, a failure to solve a problem - an anomaly - is then seen as a limitation of the scientist and not of the paradigm.

When approaching the scientific revolution, there must be a focus on the anomalies in the paradigm of normal science.

While every paradigm has anomalies, the ‘normal scientist’ must be able to focus his efforts to make the paradigm bear fruit. However, anomalies can develop in a way that undermines the credibility of this paradigm, becoming a serious crisis when it attacks its foundations and resists attempts to eliminate it by peers representing current normal science.

According to Khun, the new paradigm will be different from the old one and incompatible with it, considering that different paradigms have different worldviews. He also understands that it is not an accumulative process, but the reconstruction of the study area through new principles and new norms.

Nobel Prizes are generally awarded for theories, discoveries, and technologies that changed the direction of science. Anton Zeilinger, Austrian winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and pioneer in the study of quantum mechanics, explains that his motivation for developing research is the need for something completely new: something that is very different and very unexpected to be accepted today (BRUCE, 2006).

Fritjof Capra, the author of a controversial intellectual production, influenced

and contributed significantly to the international scientific community. His works are

based on the interconnection between all phenomena in the universe, contributing to

the development of a new holistic paradigm.

In his book ‘The Turning Point’ Capra compares Cartesian thought in detail with the emerging paradigm of the 21st century. In Descartes' view, the world is a machine, a clock, presenting a Cartesian conception. The Cartesian paradigm defines the domination and control of nature, the division of absolute ideas, and the achievement of a mechanistic conception of structures as the objectives of science.

However, although the mechanistic conception constitutes the basis of most sciences, Capra understands that current experts are unable to deal with main contemporary problems - a consequence of the Cartesian worldview and its failure to identify the relationships between beings. Just like the paradigm shift from newtonian to quantum physics, he proposes the adoption of an organic and holistic approach. According to his vision, the universe is no longer seen as a machine and starts to be described as a whole that has interrelated parts, a net, with its thinking being based on connectedness and context (MARX, 2010).

Cartesian thinking focuses on specific fragments of a crisis.

For example, we can mention the production of artificial organs for cancer patients. On the other hand, holistic thinking considers the entire context, indicating that a more effective long-term solution may be an investment in agriculture and basic health, improving the quality of life without harming various environmental formations (COHEN, 1990).

Valuing the systemic view, for Fritjof Capra, is necessary to understand transitions that impact the social, economic, and political system. The three most prominent changes are the decline of patriarchy, changes in the global energy perspective, and the radical review of values linked to the mechanistic paradigm (ARENHARDT, 2015).

All problems come from one crisis: the crisis of perception. Analyzing and formulating science holistically not only opens doors to solving basic problems in society but also to a new approach to dealing with emerging crises. If a watch is defective, replacing a part will guarantee a limited resolution of the problem. In the same situation, when we notice that the gears are constantly malfunctioning because a child tends to drop the clock on the floor, we can act on the root of the problem by placing the clock in a higher place and teaching the child the correct way to avoid the constant repair of parts. The need to adopt the systemic paradigm arises from the knowledge that we need the world to develop in a more sustainable and autopoietic way.

Scientific revolutions do not occur automatically, like a key turn, but in a way in which radical changes result from long periods of development and questioning.

REFERENCES

ARENHARDT, D. L. O Pensamento Cartesiano e o Pensamento Sistêmico nas

Obras de Fritjop Capra: A Quebra de Paradigmas a partir da Nova Física. Revista

Contribuciones a las ciencias Sociales, n. 30. 2015. Disponível em:

https://www.eumed.net/rev/cccss/2015/04/fritjop-capra. Acesso em: 07 nov. 2023.

BRUCE, C. Schrödinger’s rabbits: the many worlds of quantum. 1 edition. Natl

Academy Press. 2006.

CAPRA, F. O Ponto de Mutação: A Ciência, a Sociedade e a Cultura emergente. 1

edição, Editora Culturix. 1982.

COHEN, A. A. J., CAPRA, B. A. O Ponto de mutação. [Filme-vídeo]. Produção de

Adrianna AJ Cohen, direção de Bernt Amadeus Capra. Distribuído por Cannes

Home Video. 1990. Vídeo, 126 min. color. Son.