-
1925 BCE
Birth of a Philosopher
He was born in Vienna, Austria. His father was an officer in the merchant marine during World War I in Istria and later became a civil servant in Vienna. His mother was a seamstress and her family was from Stockerau. Their names are not listed for privacy reasons. -
Childhood
-
Period: to
Childhood
Feyerabend was raised Catholic and joined the Hitler Youth as required by law. He was an excellent student in physics and mathematics and built his telescope at 13 which allowed him to become an observer for the Swiss Institute of Solar Research.. Reading works by Plato, Descartes, and Büchner sparked his philosophical interest. He was fascinated by Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which depicted the "lonely man". -
LT Feyerabend
After completing high school, Feyerabend was drafted into the German Military. He underwent basic training in Pirmasens and was later assigned to a unit in Quelerne en Bas. Feyerabend was hit by three bullets in his hand, belly, and spine retreating from the Russian Army. The bullet damaged his spinal nerves, leaving him wheelchair-bound and partially paralyzed. Although he later learned to walk with a crutch, he was left impotent and suffered from bouts of severe pain. -
Life Tragedy
His mentally ill, long-suffering mother committed suicide. Feyerabend recalls "I felt absolutely nothing". -
The Start of His Career in the Entertainment Industry.
After being wounded in action during World War 2, his military career came to an end along with the war. The mayor of Apolda offered him a job in the education sector, where he worked on public entertainment projects such as writing speeches, dialogues, and plays. He later attended the music academy, where he took lessons in Italian, harmony, singing, enunciation, and piano. -
The Start of His Career in Philosophy
Returned to Vienna to pursue a PhD at the University of Vienna. He studied history and sociology and then soon transferred to physics. He studied observational astronomy and perturbation theory, as well as differential equations, nuclear physics, algebra, and tensor analysis. -
1st Wife
Very little is known about his marital life. His first wife's name may have been Jaqueline or Edultred, and they were married in 1948 but divorced a year later. -
PH.D. Graduate
In 1951, he graduated in Astronomy and received his Ph.D. in Philosophy. Also, with a thesis on basic statements (Zur Theorie der Basissätze) under Victor Kraft's supervision -
Karl Popper
In 1948, Feyerabend met Karl Popper who was also born in Vienna. Feyerabend was impressed with Popper and was offered a job as his assistant. He declined due to plans to work with Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein. Unfortunately, Wittgenstein passed away on April 29, 1951. In 1952, Feyerabend went to England to study under Karl Popper and work on issues related to quantum mechanics. Later, he translated Popper's book "The Open Society" into German. -
2nd Wife
There is very limited information available regarding his marital life. However, it is known that he married Mary O'Neil in 1956 and divorced her in 1958. -
Empiricism
Feyerabend's essay was influenced by the two theses presented in Popper's 1948 Alpbach lecture. Giving insight to the principles of explanation, reduction, and empiricism. Criticised existing empiricist accounts of explanation and theoretical reduction (Hempel, Nagel), and introduced the concept of incommensurability. -
3rd Wife
There is very little information about his marital life. He was married to Barbara in 1970, but she passed away in 1972. -
Proliferation
In 1970 Feyerabend at the University of Cincinnati gave a lecture on Galileo's Principle "Invent and elaborate on theories that are inconsistent with accepted point of views, even if the latter should happen to be highly confirmed and generally accepted". -
Fourth and Final Wife
Finally, in 1983, Feyerbend met Grazia Borrini, who would become his fourth and final wife. -
More about Feyerabend
https://youtu.be/UbDM5Wnvqh0?si=TMAQjIAOvkH8vdyK
A video more on Feyerabend Biography -
Death
Have you ever considered what will happen to your legacy after you pass away? Your legacy is something that remains with the world even after you're gone, and it lasts forever. Unfortunately, in 1993, Paul Feyerabend was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and was hospitalized. He passed away at the age of 70 in Genolier, Switzerland.