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A Rebel Was Born
This day marks the birth of Paul Feyerabend, born in Vienna, Austria -
Beginnings of his Academic Journey
After Feyerabend left the German Army, he returns to Vienna to begin his academic journey. Originally studying history and sociology, Feyerabend becomes uninspired and switches to physics, then finally settles on philosophy. -
Feyerabend, Meet Popper!
In 1951, after receiving his doctorate in philosophy, Feyerabend was given a scholarship to study under Wittgenstein, who passed away before this could happen. This led Feyerabend to choose to study with Popper, who would influence him during this time and in his later works. -
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Professor at Berkeley
This timeframe is notable, as Feyerabend's greatest works were released during the time that he was a professor in the United States, at the University of California, Berkeley. -
"Anything Goes"
This is the key moment of Feyerabend's career. His first and most controversial publication, 'Against Method' lays out his theory of Epistemological Anarchism, a theory that there is no singular scientific method, how that concept is limiting, and really no better than forms of pseudo-science at getting to the truth. Fully committing to only one method to seek truth will always interfere with creating a full picture, and achieving true progress. In short; for science, anything goes! -
Feyerabend Video
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Allow me to extrapolate!
In 1978, Feyerabend publishes his most recent major work in the philosophy of science, which expands on his 1975 work where he defines epistemological anarchism. Feyerabend, Paul. 'Science in a Free Society'. Schocken Books, 1978 -
One Last Hurrah
Feyerabend's last major publication, 'Farewell to Reason' is a collection of his essays which focus on how beneficial cultural diversity and change is, not only when applied in a scientific setting but also to life. The essays demonstrated that uniformity reduces both our true grasp on knowledge, perspective, and joy in life. Feyerabend, Paul. 'Farewell to Reason'. Verso, 1987 -
Feyerabend passes away
This date marks the death of my peronal favorite philosopher of science, Paul Feyerabend.
