subparadigm
A subparadigm is a concept used within the framework of Thomas Kuhn's philosophy of science, specifically in relation to scientific revolutions and paradigm shifts. Kuhn proposed that scientific progress occurs through periods of normal science, where a dominant paradigm guides research, punctuated by revolutionary periods where the existing paradigm is overthrown and replaced by a new one. A subparadigm can be understood as a subordinate or emergent set of beliefs, theories, and practices that exists within, or challenges, a larger, established paradigm.
Subparadigms may arise as anomalies accumulate within the dominant paradigm, leading some scientists to explore alternative