Scientific languages and immeasurability Understanding Kuhnian approach of inter-paradigmatic relationships

Résumé

Incommensurability is a central notion in Thomas Kuhn’s thought, especially in
its linguistic dimension. It can be understood as a defect linked to the inter-translatability of
two different scientific languages. This correlates with a difficulty in communication between
supporters of the paradigms in dispute. The understanding of the scientific enterprise that
can arise from the notion of incommensurability has an almost anthropological resonance,
that of a problem of understanding between very different cultures. This article sets out to
reconsider the scope of the Kuhnian notion of incommensurability in the field of linguistic
and historical analysis of science. This will also make it possible to grasp the multiple
anthropological issues.