Are Programming Paradigms Paradigms? A Critical Examination of Floyd's Appropriation of Kuhn's Philosophy

Abstract

This paper examines the philosophical relationship between Thomas Kuhn's concept of scientific paradigms and the programming paradigm concept in computing that was introduced by Floyd in his 1978 Turing Award lecture. Through critical analysis of both Kuhn's original framework and its application in computing, we argue that the contemporary usage of `programming paradigms' represents a significant departure from Kuhn's philosophical concept. We demonstrate that while Floyd explicitly attributed this term to Kuhn's work, his usage fundamentally altered the concept's meaning. We argue that this divergence necessitates a critical reassessment of the term's usage in computing discourse.