Personal Reflections on Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants represent a classic example of a "scientific revolution." According to Kuhn, scientific disciplines undergo periods of "normal science" in which they obtain a high degree of precision and progress rapidly. Normal science is dependent on the adoption of a universally accepted paradigm that defines research problems for the scientist and provides the methods that should be applied to solve them. However, in the course of research, scientists inevitably stumble upon anomalies in the existing paradigm. Eventually, a competing theory proves relatively successful in explaining the anomaly, and the old paradigm is modified and replaced with a new paradigm. It is this process that defines a "scientific revolution." Initially, the scientific community resists the replacement, but with time and successful application, the new paradigms gain enough support to win acceptance. In turn, the new paradigm creates new research questions, new methodologies, and new results.