Fleck on the History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science

This essay seeks to highlight the main notions developed by the Jewish-Polish physician Ludwik Fleck, the main influence present in the most widespread epistemological theory of the 20th century, the notion of scientific revolutions presented by Thomas Kuhn. This is a work of dissemination, which aims to simplify the reading and understanding of the most important concepts of the doctrine of the styles and collectives of thought. Historical, sociological, and philosophical aspects concerning the context of the development of the interactionist doctrine, characterized by the sociological view of science introduced by Fleck in 1927, are discussed. Concepts structuring the philosophy and history of science, such as paradigm and incommensurability, are presented here from their original versions, in an attempt to harmonize the illusions we have about the practice of research and scientific production.