Thomas Kuhn's Influence on Astronomers

An e-mail survey of two samples of the world's astronomers was conducted in order to determine the familiarity of the astronomical community with the work of Thomas Kuhn. As anticipated, only a minority of a representative sample of the astronomical community had more than a vague familiarity with Kuhn and his work. An unanticipated result of this investigation was the extent and type of influence of Kuhn on the research and teaching lives of the minority of astronomers who were familiar with his work. The depth and thoughtfulness of the responses indicated that for some astronomers at least, Kuhn's thought resonated well with their picture of how science is done and provided some useful perspectives on their scientific careers. These responses may be of value in encouraging scientists to become more familiar with the history and philosophy of science.