''The Copernican Revolution'' is a 1957 book by the philosopher

Thomas Kuhn Thomas Samuel Kuhn (; July 18, 1922 – June 17, 1996) was an American philosopher of science whose 1962 book '' The Structure of Scientific Revolutions'' was influential in both academic and popular circles, introducing the term ''paradig ...

, in which the author provides an analysis of the

Copernican Revolution The Copernican Revolution was the paradigm shift from the Ptolemaic model of the heavens, which described the cosmos as having Earth stationary at the center of the universe, to the heliocentric model with the Sun at the center of the Solar Sys ...

, documenting the pre-Ptolemaic understanding through the

Ptolemaic system In astronomy, the geocentric model (also known as geocentrism, often exemplified specifically by the Ptolemaic system) is a superseded description of the Universe with Earth at the center. Under most geocentric models, the Sun, Moon, stars, an ...

and its variants until the eventual acceptance of the Keplerian system. Kuhn argues that the Ptolemaic system provided broader appeal than a simple astronomical system but also became intertwined in broader philosophical and theological beliefs. Kuhn argues that this broader appeal made it more difficult for other systems to be proposed. Text available on JSTOR Westman, Robert S. "Two Cultures or One?: A Second Look at Kuhn's The Copernican Revolution." Isis (1994): 79-115.

Summary

At the end of the book, Kuhn summarizes the achievements of Copernicus and Newton, while comparing the incompatibility of Newtonian physics with Aristotelian concepts that preceded the then new physics. Kuhn also noted that discoveries, such as that produced by Newton, were not in agreement with the prevailing worldview during his lifetime.

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