What is a paradigm?

A paradigm is essentially the dominant framework or set of practices guiding a field of knowledge at a given time. For instance, Thomas Kuhn described paradigms as the accepted theories, methods, and standards within a scientific community that shape how problems are understood and tackled. Paradigms signify the prevailing approaches that experts trust and utilize to conduct respectable science. They can shift over time as new discoveries and improvements emerge, rendering old paradigms obsolete.

Stephen West explains that paradigms often do not last long; they evolve as better science replaces them or as one discipline's paradigm doesn't necessarily apply to another 1. This concept has significant implications in various fields, such as neuroscience. Erik Hoel emphasizes that neuroscience is currently pre-paradigmatic, meaning it lacks a comprehensive, unifying theory like Darwin's theory of evolution in biology: something that can fully explain complex phenomena like consciousness 2.

Therefore, understanding paradigms helps us grasp how scientific fields operate and evolve, highlighting the importance of breakthrough theories that can reshape entire disciplines.