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Birth and Early Education
Paul Feyerabend was born on January 13th, 1924 in a harsh, post-war Vienne, Austria. He hardly left the house besides for occasional trips to the movies. Paul spent most of his early childhood reading. He started school around age six and later attended high school where he learned science, Latin, and English. He was an excellent student who was said to be smarter than his physics teacher. -
The Anschluss and World War II
Austria became annexed into Nazi controlled Germany in 1938 before the start of WWII in September 1939. Paul graduated high school in 1942 and was quickly drafted into the German Arbeitsdienst. He completed boring and tedious work for some time before applying to become an officer. He graduated officer training hoping the war would be over by then. He served from 1943-1945. He was shot during Germany's retreat through the spine which affecting him for life by always needing a cane. -
Against Method
Paul met with Karl Popper in August 1948. Paul released his controversial book "Against Method" in 1975 lashing out at science by saying that there are no useful and exception-less methodological rules dictating science and knowledge growth. It also introduced his highly critiqued "anything goes" rule. He was surprised by the public backlash. They accused him of being aggressive and nasty. This is a link to a short educational video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85pzjUvBZSI&t=1s -
Passing and Legacy
Paul passed away in Switzerland on February 11th, 1994. He left behind a legacy of controversy and heavy critique. He was highly disliked for his anarchist views towards science as well as his little to no factual evidence. He was often called "the enemy of science" for his "anything goes" rule. Paul completed his autobiography right before his death in 1994 and it was later published in 1995.
