An Agent-Based Model of Thomas Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions"

Abstract

Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions is interpreted as the specification of an agent-based model. Kuhn described scientists as autonomous agents and an emergent pattern of evolving paradigms. The missing link in his account is then a mechanism by which this pattern self-organizes from the interactions of autonomous scientists without centralized control. This paper exploits advances in agent-based modeling and stigmergy to fill the missing link in Kuhn's account. A complete agent-based model of Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions could lead to a better understanding of the contribution of the evolution of the social structure of science to its success.