How the Developement of the Printing Press Had an Enormous Impact in Europe in the Middle Ages, and Later Translated into a Paradigm That Would Change the World Forever

There is no certainty of nature except the certainty of its lack thereof. What a person may perceive to be actual fact can all be muddled by deeper inquiry of the human condition. This is because of the principle of impermanence: the notion that not one thing can escape the boundaries of change. Change is inevitable, it is a part of us, and it is often marked by a series of several scientific and/or philosophical interludes that have the ability to transform reality, as we know it. It is upon this foundation, that philosopher Thomas Kuhn fathered, defined and popularized the concept of the paradigm shift: an intellectual revolution in which, as Kuhn states, "one conceptual world view is replaced by another". A paradigm shift does not just happen overnight, but instead, is brought on by agents of change such as science, and the philosophy of science.

However, there is a fine line between the philosophy of science and science by itself.

A set of metal types

Printing presses

The duck-rabbit, made famous by Wittgenstein

The philosophy of science is more concerned with issues raised by scientific research and methods, and also assesses the implications for humanity of scientific theories and discoveries. Where science can define the mechanisms of genetic engineering, philosophy will look beyond that and pay particular attention to the moral and ethical implications of it. Science is concerned with the systematic study and knowledge of natural or physical phenomenon, and theories are developed based on observable material facts. However, science alone cannot tell us everything about the world, which is why the philosophy of science aims to offer conclusions that are derived through the process of questioning, reasoning and debate. The philosophy of science aims to examine the role of science in the world and how science can have an effect on the psychological and sometimes ethical role of human...