The Paradigm Shift

A Paradigm refers to a model, pattern or set of theories of something. A Paradigm Shift occurs when a new way or method takes over the usually accepted way of doing things. It's a shift of our perspective in situations and things. In simple terms, it is a change from one way of thinking to another. Paradigm shift is constant and applies to everything and anything. It's application depends on the level of receptiveness to change.

Paradigm Shift was identified by American Physicist and Philosopher,Thomas Kuhn, as, the important change in basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. Kuhn wrote an influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) where he has mentioned that "Paradigm shifts arise when the dominant paradigm under which normal science operates is rendered incompatible with new phenomena, facilitating the adoption of a new theory or paradigm".

To understand paradigm shift briefly, let's see an illustration. What do you see? A Duck or A Rabbit?

The answer is both. But only if you are willing to make a paradigm shift. Unless you knew there was another way of looking at this picture, you would be willing to argue your perspective, only to be confronted with what someone else sees in the picture.

A paradigm shift occurs when there is a “crisis” in a particular area or domain. Such crisis is related to the fact that the old paradigm can no longer be of any value enough for the existing proofs to be trusted by the population. Simultaneously, in this situation there will be always be a relatively new paradigm with better structure to support its success. Initially, such new approaches often get rejected or satirized, but eventually they result in change and evolution.

Over the last few years paradigm shifts have occurred in many areas and domains. A few which can be mentioned are medicine & healthcare, communications, sports, aviation, travel, internet, music, technology, businesses and so on. To sum up, everything around us goes through a Paradigm Shift and evolves eventually.

So considering the current situation out of the pandemic COVID-19, What do you think will have a Paradigm Shift in coming days or years?