THRESHOLD GENERATION

You’re right about Mr. Jencks, and it is not merely an opinion that he’s "too old" to possibly foresee a new paradigm. It is surprising how many people who talk about paradigm shifts actually demonstrate no real understanding of what Kuhn indicated in his "the structure of scientific revolutions". He clearly states that paradigms are discontinuities with existing directions and attitudes in research, and he also states that a new paradigm can only emerge from young researchers, young by age but also by experience. Jencks is neither, and his constant reference to existing buildings as examples of a new paradigm is clearly self contraddictory.

cheers,
enricogbotta

One Response

enricogbotta says:

June 13, 2003 at 10:22 pm

You’re right about Mr. Jencks, and it is not merely an opinion that he’s "too old" to possibly foresee a new paradigm. It is surprising how many people who talk about paradigm shifts actually demonstrate no real understanding of what Kuhn indicated in his "the structure of scientific revolutions". He clearly states that paradigms are discontinuities with existing directions and attitudes in research, and he also states that a new paradigm can only emerge from young researchers, young by age but also by experience. Jencks is neither, and his constant reference to existing buildings as examples of a new paradigm is clearly self contraddictory.

cheers,
enricogbotta