In 1962, Thomas S. Kuhn, then a budding philosopher and historian of science, published a book called The Structure of Scientific Revolutions . Kuhn proposed a new way of looking at the process by which the periodic, tradition-shattering revolutions in the ongoing work of science come into being. Kuhn noted that throughout the history of science, each advance noteworthy enough to be called a revolution was followed by a change in the way the community of scientists looked at familiar data. It was this new mindset on the part of scientists that advanced knowledge in a field because the new ways of looking at problems provided solutions not thought of previously. Therefore, he argued, textbooks that describe scientific development as a linear process in which scientists add another fact or theory to an existing body of knowledge are wrong.
Science develops in a non-linear pattern.
Each generation solves its own problems, not because the problems have changed, but because the knowledge and mindsets of each generation change after each scientific revolution. 1 Kuhn believed understanding the role of paradigms was key to understanding how science advances. Kuhn's work was in itself tradition-shattering and continues to be influential in the study of scientific processes today. Others have noted its relevance for the social sciences, business, the professions and other fields. Today the CPA profession, through its ground-breaking CPA Vision Process, is examining some of the reasons why recognizing paradigms and knowing when it is time to change them is so important to the future of the CPA profession.