A paradigm is basically the set of assumptions, or the vision of reality, through which each of us perceives the world.
Switching from Coke to Pepsi is not a paradigm shift.
The switch from tap water to bottled water is.
Why?
The first is just a change in brand choice.
The second is a fundamental change in thinking, leading to a whole new way of behaving.
Paradigm Shift
Alfred Russel Wallace
Charles Darwin“The concept of evolution by natural selection is the closest that biology comes to a single unifying theory.”
• He turned Chemistry from a qualitative to a quantitative science.
• As a result, we now have an ‘exact science’ of volumes, weights and measures when we do experiments. He made experiments repeatable.
• This allowed him to discover that it was oxygen that was responsible for combustion/fire and not a mysterious element called phlogiston.
Antoine Lavoisier
Without Lavoisier….. • Drugs to treat diseases would not be as widely available
• New discoveries would be harder to come by.
The Earth and the Universe
• In the 1500's it was widely accepted that the Earth was the centre of the universe
• All the stars, planets, moon and sun orbited around the Earth
• This is called the geocentric model
Copernicus• In 1514 Nicholas
Copernicus wrote about his heliocentric model.
• Based on his astronomical observations, this placed the sun at the centre of all of the observable planets.
• This idea was championed later by Galileo, who spent his later years under house arrest for spreading this knowledge.
Few paradigm shifts compare in size, scope, and impact to the scientific revolutions driven by people like Wallace, Lavoisier, and Copernicus.
So, what is the biggest paradigm shift of the last few years?
Anyone, Anything, Anytime, Anywhere.
Anyone who has access to a smart phone (Regardless of age, education, or geography)
Can access to virtually Anything (information, advice, entertainment, services or products)
At Any time (24 hours a day, 365 days a year), from
Anywhere in the world (wherever they are).
What Next?
