Paradigm shift
A paradigm shift is a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems, or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing. A scientific revolution occurs, according to Thomas Kuhn, when scientists encounter anomalies which cannot be explained by the universally accepted paradigm within which "normal" scientific progress had been made.
The work of Galileo, the reaction of the church, and the subsequent acceptance of the work of Kepler and Newton, are seen by some as the classic example of a paradigm shift.
Examples of paradigm shifts in perception or ways of thinking:
- An individual who did not believe life exists on other planets sees a UFO.
- Margaret Mead, famous anthropologist, shows the New Guinea savages a flashlight.
- People blind since birth recover sight.
- Miraculous events of healing witnessed by a non-believer in miracles
Examples of paradigm shifts in complex systems and organizations:
- The English monarchy with the signing of the Magna Carta.
- The "explosion of life" during the Pre-Cambrian era.
- Society with the invention of any of several innovations (fire, the wheel, gunpowder, the microchip, etc.).
- Warfare and corporate structure with the development of the Prussian military model.