The anatomy of a paradigm shift

toward a theory of learning, with exhibits from the humanities and other disciplines

Joseph Axelrod

pp. 15-39

in: Freedman (ed), Social change and personality, Berlin, Springer, 1987

Abstract

The year is 1980. Ricky Smith, a freshman at Lone Mountain College, is sitting in his humanities class—one of his general education courses—listening to a lecture about the Holocaust. He hears about the six million Jews, and the many others as well, who had met their deaths during the Hitler years in Germany. "How could such a horrible thing have happened?," the lecturer asks. "What were its causes? Was it a particular combination of causes or was there one significant underlying cause?" Then, after a pause, he says, "Well, let's look first at some important historical facts."