Kuhn and the word "paradigm"

[gusl]

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/paradigm.html

par·a·digm (plural par·a·digms)

noun
Definitions:

1. typical example: a typical example of something

2. model that forms basis of something: an example that serves as a pattern or model for something, especially one that forms the basis of a methodology or theory

3. set of all forms of word: a set of word forms giving all of the possible inflections of a word

4. relationship of ideas to one another: in the philosophy of science, a generally accepted model of how ideas relate to one another, forming a conceptual framework within which scientific research is carried out

Now I see why Kuhn chose the word "paradigm": because he viewed science as the creation of explanations based on previous examplars. I wonder if meaning 2 was "coined" by him.

So a paradigm shift is when you throw out your set of examplars from which you used to model explanations: "No, electrons are not like tiny charged balls". This will often mean that you feel clueless, if you have no exemplars to draw from.

I used to think that Kuhn's notion of paradigm meant something like "way of doing/seeing things", similar what the idea of what matrix you're trapped in, or what colour glasses you're seeing things through (theory-ladenness). But now I see that it's based on the notion of exemplar, seeing that he chose to use the word "paradigm".