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Service in the German Army in WWII
Paul Feyerabend's native Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938. In 1942 Feyerabend joined the German army and was stationed in Germany because he wanted to stay far from the fighting. He got bored and was sent to the frontline. He became an officer, winning an Iron Cross and later being wounded during a retreat on the eastern front. After being wounded, Feyerabend's war was over. -
Rising Interest in Philosophy
In 1947 Feyerabend decided to move back to Vienna, Austria and started studying history and sociology at the University of Vienna’s Institute for Austrian Historical Research. He joined science students, who thought they were better than the other students, in interrupting philosophy lectures. "he took the radical positivist line that science is the basis of knowledge; that it is empirical; and that nonempirical enterprises are either logic or nonsense ". -
Feyerabend Meets Popper
At a seminar at the college Feyerabend attended he was introduced to prominent philosopher Karl Popper. At first, he was enamored by Popper, and as time grew he started moving further and further away from the views of Popper. You can make the assumption that Karl Popper was one of the single most important influences of Paul Feyerabend's life. -
Meeting Wittgenstein
Sometime between 1950 and 1951 (The exact date is unknown due to Feyerabend mistakenly writing the date as being in 1952 which was after Wittgenstein died), Feyerabend met Ludwig Wittgenstein at a lecture. Feyerabend was going to go study under him in England but tragically Wittgenstein died before his arrival. Instead Feyerabend studied under Karl Popper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkRZ2unDKLM -
“On the Quantum Theory of Measurement”
"Feyerabend introduced what was to become a long-running theme in his work: that there is no separate and neutral “observation-language” or “everyday language” against which the theoretical statements of science are tested". Feyerabend's theories showed a break from the way of thinking of that day.