In this article we will try to answer the question: "What is a paradigm?" Here the definition of the term in general terms and in specialized branches of human science achievements will be affected. In particular, the significance of the linguistic, scientific, sociological and educational paradigm and the phenomenon of change will be revealed.
General definition
What is a paradigm? This term denotes the totality of a number of fundamental conclusions, which are presented in the form of a scientific attitude and ideas about something significant. A paradigm is a form of continuity for scientific development and creativity.
T. Kuhn described the paradigm as work recognized by all members of the scientific community over a period of time. Moreover, he must give society a model of the problem posed and its solution.
Other existing species
What is a paradigm and what are its meanings?
Considering the essence and concept of the paradigm, mankind has created a certain classification of paradigms, among which there are:
- linguistic;
- philosophical;
- programming paradigm;
- educational;
- rhetorical - a historical or morphological example for comparison (fable, parabola, etc.);
- the paradigm for scientific methodology is a set of values, technical capabilities and skills, various types of approaches and methods that have been accepted in the community of scientists to create an established tradition for a specific period of time;
- political science paradigm - cognitive principles and techniques for displaying political realities that set the logic for knowledge organizations; it is a form of theoretical interpretation of social phenomena.
The concept of "personal" and "generally accepted"
When answering the question of what a paradigm is, it will also be important to get acquainted with the species diversity of the term being studied. This concept has a general definition for all areas of human activity, but may have certain characteristics, which is caused by belonging to a particular discipline. The paradigm is generally accepted or individual (personal and subjective). The state and absolute paradigm are also distinguished. Moreover, this term is used in sociology and education, where it represents an extremely significant and developed definition.
The main paradigm is determined by the correctness and similarity of people's opinions, which is primarily associated with the objectivity of reality. Personal paradigms are based on mental models of the individual and his point of view. This concept defines not “all knowledge”, but the essence of knowledge. This is necessary to ensure the evolutionary development of personal activity in reality of the surrounding society.
The paradigm in sociology
Social paradigm is a concept used in a number of social sciences. By it is meant the initial conceptual scheme, a model of the problem, and also study methods of its formulation and solutions. A change in the content of the paradigm is regarded as a scientific revolution. In other words, this term is the general angle of view of a certain number of subjects studying a particular phenomenon.
S. A. Kravchenko says that the emergence of social. theories become real only when society comes to a specific level of complexity of a dynamic nature. This is expressed in the emergence of critical views of people who analyze changes in social. institutions and ourselves. Sociological sciences distinguish several distinct and extremely important paradigms, which are divided by belonging to a particular school or direction of research and development dynamics.
Some classification units
To better understand the answer to the question of what is the paradigm in sociology, we will consider some of their varieties:
- The paradigm of the social factor is a concept based on the foundations of the school of functionalism and associated with E. Durkheim. In this case, the term describes social reality as an independent structure, independent of the will and action of an individual. It consists of social. institutions and structural components that study and / or are the subject of research and analysis in sociology. The concept of the social paradigm. factors, is directly related to functionalism, which means specific social phenomena. They, in turn, must be considered from the point of view of the function performed.
- The paradigm of understanding is a term associated with the works of M. Weber and V. Pareto. In this case, the social. reality is considered from the point of view of a subjective understanding of reality by each individual. Weber argued that every action has a rationale that needs to be understood, defined and comprehended by rational motives.
- The paradigm of social. Behavior - a concept based on the social behaviorism of B. Skinner and the theory of social exchange P. Blau and J. Homans. The main principle is the assertion that human behavior has a reactive nature. In other words, behavior is determined by a set of simple biological reactions that are a response to an external stimulus or stimulus.
Science and Model
The scientific paradigm is a universal methodology, a means by which an evolutionary decision is made and epistemological models of the activity of such decisions are created. Such a set of guidelines and rules is most commonly accepted. These are decision-making methods, the creation and description of the world model (in particular, individual fragments of the universe), which most people have accepted because of the provability and validity of the paradigm itself.
The concept of a scientific paradigm is generally accepted for various fields of human activity. This concept is interpreted depending on the field of application. Scientific paradigms include exemplary methodologies that allow you to take a certain form of problem solving, a way to create a model of the world or its individual fragments. An example is the beneficence paradigm that arose in the constitutional course of Russia in 1993, or the programming paradigm in general.
Education
The education paradigm is a general set of ideas and statements that are recognized by the pedagogical society in a certain period of time. Such ideas form the basis of scientific research. These varieties of paradigms currently exist quite a lot. The most general level allows us to distinguish between a progressive (aspiring to the future) and a classic (looking to the past) series of paradigms.
The paradigm of education in classical form is an established, traditional concept used in the educational field. Progressive paradigms have content and approaches that are different from the standard and rooted in time, and here the concept of law, attitude and pedagogical mentality is considered differently.
Shift phenomenon
A paradigm shift is a phenomenon introduced into scientific circulation by the historian studying science, Thomas Kuhn. This term was mentioned in the book "Structure of scientific revolutions", which was published in 1962. She described the evolution of basic premises within the framework of some scientific theories (paradigms). In the future, this term began to be used in other areas of human experience.
T. Kuhn defined the scientific revolution as an epistemological paradigm shift. He also believed that a revolution begins when scientists discover an anomaly that cannot be explained using the universal principles of the accepted paradigm, applicable to the specific field of activity in which the phenomenon under study occurred.
Paradigm conflict means the process of establishing new postulates and statements, during which a scientific revolution takes place. First of all, there is a dispute between certain value systems, a difference in the method of solving puzzles that need to be answered, as well as a difference in the methods of measurement, observation and practical methods that represent the warring paradigms.
The word "paradigm" is used by the scientific community all over the world and is an extremely important concept that allows a person to create guidelines for assessing objective reality.