Paradigm Paralysis

A detailed Summary of Paradigm Paralysis

The Swiss, for most of the 20th century, were pioneers in the trade of watch making. They dominated the industry, no other country produced watches that were more in demand. However, due to a simple yet remarkable innovation, this changed. The innovation of Quartz as a means of keeping track of time would become the most common method used to construct watches in the modern era. The inventor was a Canadian born engineer named Warren Morrison. When he presented his ideas to the Swiss watch making industry, it was completely rejected. His idea did not receive any recognition until he presented it to a Japanese group representing a company called Casio. Ever since, the dominance of the Swiss watch making industry was lost, simply due to their inability to think beyond their current model of what a watch should be. This is a classic example of the effects of a phenomenon known as paradigm paralysis.

In a scientific context, a paradigm is an accepted perspective that sets limits to an individual's perceptions of a particular branch of knowledge. However in a more general context, a paradigm can also be a shared set of assumptions that dictate how we perceive our world. Paradigms are very helpful because they

Ingram introduces the concept of intuition, which can essentially be thought of as intrinsic knowledge. Ingram proposes that people develop certain beliefs about their world without the use of rational processes, they prefer using devices that are in accord with their own instinctive beliefs. This natural tendency suggests the same dogmatic manner of understanding that Commoner discusses in his essay. This suggests that people are not basing their judgement on objective data, rather they are relying more on the ruling of an authority. The authority in this case just happens to be their own instinctual thought processes.

He explains that Watson and Crick used the DNA model to explain everything that pertains to inheritance, which is the basis of genetic engineering. The significance of this statement can be inferred using Ingram's quote from Author Eddington when he comments on the materiality of paradigmatic representation:

An analogous argument is also found in Ingram's essay. In his concluding thoughts he states that:

Commoner continues his description of Watson and Crick's model by attempting to identify the source of its "explanatory power" in the eyes of the scientific community. He states that:

If something cannot be taken into account within the paradigm, then this creates a threat to the legitimacy of the idea. To avoid this conflict one must implement a change in his or her belief-system concerning that issue. Change, however, is not something easily fulfilled, thus the easier alternative is to reject the validity of the new concept. This intellectual or psychological inertia represents the paralysis of the paradigm.

In his essay, Commoner spends a considerable amount of time describing Watson and Crick's discovery, as well as explaining how it has developed such wide acceptance in both the scientific and the general community.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Watson Crick's, Watson Crick, Warren Morrison, Author Eddington, Commoner Ingram, PARALYSIS Swiss, Crick DNA, Atom's Image, watson crick's, Finally Commoner, ingram's essay, ingram 1996, watson crick, ingram 1996 ingram, explanatory power, scientific community, 1996 ingram, people inclined, true nature, watson crick's theory, crick's theory, Barry Commoner's, molecular structure dna, watson crick's discovery, watson crick's model,

Approximate Word count = 1547
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English