> Kuhn's advice to people in this situation would be to re-examine the philosophical basis of the field, NOT to continue on doing business as usual. I am not f

> Kuhn's advice to people in this situation would be to re-examine the philosophical basis of the field, NOT to continue on doing business as usual. I am not familiar with Kuhn but the statements you echo resonate deeply with me. I hope in some places academics do shift their paradigm (when necessary) but from what I've seen at uni the outlook is bleak. Researchers do x for years, built up their reputation by doing so and at some point their ego is so big that they don't dare asking themselves whether they've wasted years doing something very stupid. Even worse, these people favor PhD candidates that are willing to follow their footsteps.