Kuhn on Creativity and Tradition in Education

In this chapter, I shall revisit Kuhn’s arguments about the roles of convergent and divergent thought in science education, and I shall compare them to later work and debates in science education, cognitive science, and neighboring disciplines. First, I shall argue that Kuhn’s ideas about convergent thought resonate well with both empirical and theoretical work from prominent scholars in education, cognitive science, and philosophy. Second, I shall argue that although Kuhn’s ideas about divergent thought remained underdeveloped, the topic has been investigated by many other scholars from philosophy, cognitive science and education. Finally, I shall return to Kuhn’s reflections on the different educational needs for basic and applied scientists. I shall argue that Kuhn’s analysis of science education at the university level was rooted in a historical context where enrollment was low, and that the immense growth of science that has happened over the last half century calls instead for education of scientists that bridges rather than deepens the divide between pure and applied science.