--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the things Kuhn said about normal…" description: "\"One of the things Kuhn said about normal science is that people 'expect' things to be discovered.\" — Ian Hacking" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/ian-hacking-9085_expect_one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal_41931.jpg" --- # One of the things Kuhn said about normal science is that… ![“One of the things Kuhn said about normal science is that people 'expect' things to be discovered.” quote by Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/ian-hacking-9085_expect_one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal_41931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/ian-hacking-9085_expect_one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal_41931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/ian-hacking-9085_expect_one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal_41931.jpg) > “One of the things Kuhn said about normal science is that people 'expect' things to be discovered.” [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Normal science proceeds under the assumption that discoveries will follow existing paradigms, shaping expectations and research direction. **In simple terms:** Science operates within expected patterns. Key Takeaway Expectations guide scientific progress. Themes scientific methodology paradigm theory expectation bias research dynamics Mood analytical thoughtful critical Type observation philosophical insight When to use this quote - designing research programs - evaluating funding proposals - teaching philosophy of science - planning experimental pipelines Key Concepts normal science Kuhn's paradigm prediction discovery Practical Applications - forecasting research trends - structuring grant reviews Questions to Reflect On - How do expectations limit novel findings? - What mechanisms can break entrenched expectations? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect/) [Kuhn Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kuhn-said-458711/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Normal Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-science-458710/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-expect-242027/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-people-458713/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Things Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-kuhn-458712/) ## Related quotes > [“Normal science, the activity in which most scientists inevitably spend almost all their time, is predicated on the assumption that the scientific community knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-kuhn/normal-science-the-activity-in-which-most-scientists-inevitably-spend-2/) [Thomas S. Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-kuhn/) > [Normal science does not aim at novelties of fact or theory and, when successful, finds none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kuhn/normal-science-does-not-aim-at-novelties-of-fact-or-theory-and-when/) [Thomas Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kuhn/) > [Computer science inverts the normal. In normal science, you're given a world, and your job is to find out the rules. In computer science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/computer-science-inverts-the-normal-in-normal-science-you-re-given-a/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [Normal science, the activity in which most scientists inevitably spend most all their time, is predicated on the assumption that the scientific community knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kuhn/normal-science-the-activity-in-which-most-scientists-inevitably-spend/) [Thomas Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kuhn/) > ['Normal science' means research firmly based upon one or more past scientific achievements, achievements that some particular scientific community acknowledges for a time as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kuhn/normal-science-means-research-firmly-based-upon-one-or-more-past/) [Thomas Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kuhn/) > [“No part of the aim of normal science is to call forth new sorts of phenomena; indeed those that will not fit the box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-radin/no-part-of-the-aim-of-normal-science-is-to-call-forth-new-sorts-of-2/) [Dean Radin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-radin/) > [No part of the aim of normal science is to call forth new sorts of phenomena; indeed those that will not fit the box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kuhn/no-part-of-the-aim-of-normal-science-is-to-call-forth-new-sorts-of/) [Thomas Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kuhn/) > [Our music doesn't make many compromises, but we take it into a venue that's larger than people expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-williams/our-music-doesn-t-make-many-compromises-but-we-take-it-into-a-venue/) [Ian Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-williams/) > [I've always loved the idea of not being what people expect me to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dita-von-teese/i-ve-always-loved-the-idea-of-not-being-what-people-expect-me-to-be/) [Dita Von Teese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dita-von-teese/) > [I don't know what people expect me to be like, but I'm very down-to-earth and not at all full of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-lanzoni/i-don-t-know-what-people-expect-me-to-be-like-but-i-m-very-down-to/) [Fabio Lanzoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-lanzoni/) > [“It is unreasonable for the common people to expect a known corrupt legal system to protect them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unreasonable-for-the-common-people-to-expect-a-known-corrupt/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-guillebeau/you-don-t-have-to-live-your-life-the-way-other-people-expect-you-to/) [Chris Guillebeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-guillebeau/) > [Rich people expect to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/rich-people-expect-to-succeed/) [T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/) > [“Don't expect too much from people- expect it from yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radostin-chernev/don-t-expect-too-much-from-people-expect-it-from-yourself/) [Radostin Chernev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radostin-chernev/) > [People expect more and more every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-boosie/people-expect-more-and-more-every-time/) [Lil Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-boosie/) ## More by Ian Hacking > [The best reaction to a paradox is to invent a genuinely new and deep idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/the-best-reaction-to-a-paradox-is-to-invent-a-genuinely-new-and-deep/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [Probability fractions arise from our knowledge and from our ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/probability-fractions-arise-from-our-knowledge-and-from-our-ignorance/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [One ought to begin an analysis of power from the ground up, at the level of tiny local events where battles are unwittingly enacted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/one-ought-to-begin-an-analysis-of-power-from-the-ground-up-at-the/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [It is possible to argue that our present conception of revolution was staked out more securely in science than in political action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/it-is-possible-to-argue-that-our-present-conception-of-revolution-was/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [Why should there be the method of science? There is not just one way to build a house, or even to grow tomatoes. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/why-should-there-be-the-method-of-science-there-is-not-just-one-way/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [Opinion is the companion of probability within the medieval epistemology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/opinion-is-the-companion-of-probability-within-the-medieval/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [Risk analysis can cater to any sort of hazard, but their profession owes its existence to a relatively narrow band of possible dangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/risk-analysis-can-cater-to-any-sort-of-hazard-but-their-profession/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [It is so hard to make important decisions that we have a great urge to reduce them to rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/it-is-so-hard-to-make-important-decisions-that-we-have-a-great-urge/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [In each case you settle on an act. Doing nothing at all counts as an act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/in-each-case-you-settle-on-an-act-doing-nothing-at-all-counts-as-an/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [I think it's unfortunate when people say that there is just one true story of science. For one thing, there are many different sciences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/i-think-it-s-unfortunate-when-people-say-that-there-is-just-one-true/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [As a political metaphor, a revolution could, in that sense, mean only a return to better times, or to the true constitution: a ridding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/as-a-political-metaphor-a-revolution-could-in-that-sense-mean-only-a/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [“Labels such as ‘‘the culture wars,’’ ‘‘the science wars,’’ or ‘‘the Freud wars’’ are now widely used to refer to some of the disagreements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/labels-such-as-the-culture-wars-the-science-wars-or-the-freud-wars/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [There are two ways in which a science develops; in response to problems which is itself creates, and in response to problems that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/there-are-two-ways-in-which-a-science-develops-in-response-to/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [From any vocabulary of ideas we can build other ideas by formal combinations of signs. But not any set of ideas will be instructive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/from-any-vocabulary-of-ideas-we-can-build-other-ideas-by-formal/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [We favor hypotheses for their simplicity and explanatory power, much as the architect of the world might have done in choosing which possibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/we-favor-hypotheses-for-their-simplicity-and-explanatory-power-much/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) [Explore all 75 Ian Hacking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) ## More Expect quotes > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [Beare with evill, and expect good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/beare-with-evill-and-expect-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/therefore-you-also-must-be-ready-for-the-son-of-man-is-coming-at-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People expect more and more every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-boosie/people-expect-more-and-more-every-time/) [Lil Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-boosie/) > [“Love is promising to give someone everything and not expect anything in return.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hart/love-is-promising-to-give-someone-everything-and-not-expect-anything/) [Emma Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hart/) > [I wanted to make a place for filmmakers and artists to come and 'do their stuff,' but I didn't expect it to have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-anderson/i-wanted-to-make-a-place-for-filmmakers-and-artists-to-come-and-do/) [Tom Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-anderson/) > [Parents should have perfect control over their own spirits, and with mildness and yet firmness bend the will of the child until it shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/parents-should-have-perfect-control-over-their-own-spirits-and-with/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [“When you have a relationship with Jesus, you learn to expect something different everyday of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mlungisi-simelane/when-you-have-a-relationship-with-jesus-you-learn-to-expect-something/) [Mlungisi Simelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mlungisi-simelane/) > [I didn't expect I will get the Arjuna at 18 years. I thought 19.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/i-didn-t-expect-i-will-get-the-arjuna-at-18-years-i-thought-19/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Sometimes when you least expect it, hope wiggles into your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-plourde/sometimes-when-you-least-expect-it-hope-wiggles-into-your-heart/) [Lynn Plourde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-plourde/) > [I laid my life on the line, so I expect nothing less from you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-day-to-remember/i-laid-my-life-on-the-line-so-i-expect-nothing-less-from-you/) [A Day To Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-day-to-remember/) [Browse all 2,143 Expect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the things Kuhn said about normal science is that people 'expect' things to be discovered.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian Hacking" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal-science-is-that-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expect" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal-science-is-that-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/ian-hacking-9085_expect_one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal_41931.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/ian-hacking-9085_expect_one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal_41931.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/ian-hacking-9085_expect_one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal_41931.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the things Kuhn said about normal science is that people 'expect' things to be discovered.” — Ian Hacking", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ian Hacking", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the things Kuhn said...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal-science-is-that-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/one-of-the-things-kuhn-said-about-normal-science-is-that-people/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```