Читать книгу Geology For Dummies - Alecia M. Spooner - Страница 38

A really thorough, well-tested, and widely accepted theory may become the current scientific paradigm. Scientific paradigms are patterns that serve as models for further research. Right now, plate tectonics theory is the paradigm within which all new geologic research takes place. The explanation provided by plate tectonics theory is accepted as proven true, and most researchers seek to answer questions that refine their understanding of this process rather than seeking to disprove the theory as a whole.

Paradigms, like theories, may change with new information; the change is called a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift brings a new perspective — a whole new way of looking at things. For example, the acceptance of the ancient age of the earth was a paradigm shift for early geologists. These scientists had struggled to explain how geologic features were created in the short span of a few thousand years (previously accepted as the age of the earth). The new paradigm of Earth being billions of years old provided a framework within which geologic processes had plenty of time to occur, creating the features they observed. (See Chapter 3 for more discussion about this particular paradigm shift.)