Thomas S. Kuhn
Science does not advance through a steady accumulation of objective truths, but through turbulent revolutions where entire frameworks of understanding are overthrown and replaced.
Most scientific work consists of puzzle-solving within a dominant paradigm, where researchers accept unquestioned assumptions to refine and extend the existing theoretical framework.
As normal science proceeds, researchers inevitably encounter anomalies that contradict the established paradigm, eventually triggering a crisis when these contradictions can no longer be ignored.
A scientific revolution occurs when a field abandons its old paradigm in favor of a new, radically different framework that better explains the accumulated anomalies.