A New Response to Wray and an Attempt to Widen the Conversation

Abstract

This article begins by examining a recent claim by Brad Wray that the discovery of atomic number and isotopy constitutes a scientific revolution in the sense of the later writings of Thomas Kuhn.  I argue that although Kuhn’s criteria may apply to the change from the Ptolemaic to the Copernican model of the universe, they do not apply in the above chemical or atomic case.  I also examine the wider issue of Kuhn’s turning away from internal scientific issues to a consideration of lexical issues.  I conclude, as others have done before me, that this may have been a wrong turn in view of the emphasis being placed on questions of sense rather than reference.