The historical developmental perspective of Thomas S. Kuhn: A search for first principles in the development of scientific knowledge over time

This dissertation reconsiders the work of Thomas S. Kuhn on the basis of what he characterized as the historical developmental perspective. The perspective examines the activities, processes and choices involved in the development of scientific knowledge over time. It reflects case-based, rather than rules-based reasoning and provides an alternative and insightful basis for discerning changes in knowledge, ideas, and assumptions over time.; The historical developmental perspective guided Kuhn's research activities throughout his career, and through those investigations, he developed and refined both the approach and the insights that it provided. Yet the unique aspects of Kuhn's historical developmental perspective were not recognized by many of his readers---nor, to a great extent, were they appreciated fully by Kuhn himself. As a result, much of Kuhn's work has been misinterpreted by his readers and many of his most important ideas have remained unexplored.