Abstract:

Atom is one of the most controversial and interesting subjects of first natural philosophy and natural sciences. It has preoccupied people's minds since ancient times. This historical adventure, which started with the ancient Greek atomism and Muslim scholars in the Middle Ages also contributed to ideas of atom. Since atomism was far from the possibilities of experimentation in the early periods, it was tried to be proved by rational reasoning. XIX. In the 19th century, the concept of the atom has become one of the fundamental phenomena of modern science. By the 20th century, it was understood that this fundamental particle, which was thought to be indivisible, could be divided into more fundamental parts, thanks to both experimental evidence and scientific and technological developments. In fact, thanks to the atom, energies that could not even be imagined before having begun to be obtained. In this study, first, the historical journey of the atomic ideas will be briefly discussed. And the Kuhnian approach, which deeply affected the history of science studies in the second half of the 20th century, will be examined. For this, the concepts of paradigm and non-comparability will be discussed. Then, the place of this Kuhnian approach in the history of the atom, which is given in the first part of the study, will be discussed. The Kuhnian paradigm was frequently used by Kuhn and his followers, especially in explanations in the history of astronomy. In our study, it will be shown in the explanatory power of this approach is weak when the atomic history is examined.

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