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The Birth of Paul Feyerabend
Paul K. Feyerabend is born in Vienna. -
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German Army Service WWII
Feyerabend serves with the German Army in WWII, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. He is awarded the Iron Cross and wounded by the Russians in his hand and stomach. -
Returns to University
Feyerabend returns to Vienna and begins studies in history and sociology, however quickly changes to physics. Was described as a "raving positivist" at this time -
Feyerabend and Popper
Feyerabend applies for scholarship to Cambridge and is accepted, names Popper as his Supervisor. -
“Explanation, Reduction, and Empiricism”
Feyerabend's first notable work appears, signaling his stance as a controversial figure within the philosophy of science. His criticisms of empiricism, the dominant philosophy at the time, and introduction of incommensurability solidified his stance as a rebel within the community. Although he claims his work was influenced by Wittgenstein, one can understand, that working under Popper while in England, this carried more weight than he chose to believe. -
"Against Method"
What is arguable Feyerabend's most notable work, "Against Method" is published. This established the theory that there is no such thing as "the scientific method", giving rise to "anything goes" and the term epistemological anarchism. He felt that even though science had started as a liberating movement, it had become rigid and rule based, garnering some oppressive features, therefore making science indistinguishable from religion, mythology, and magic. -
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"Science in a Free Society"
This was a series of responses to Against Method in which Feyerabend is defending his theory against those who were critical of his work. To some extent, Feyerbend had seen his works undermining science's privileged position within culture, leading to depression and leading to his later works critiquing its position within Western society. Also pushes for a separation of science and state in much the same as separation of church and state exists. -
Science in A Free Society Quote
"The separation of church and state should therefore be supplemented by the separation of science and state, in order for us to achieve the humanity we are capable of. Setting up the ideal of a free society as “a society in which all traditions have equal rights and equal access to the centres of power” (SFS, p. 9), -
"Farewell To Reason"
This collection demonstrates how diversity is beneficial, while uniformity reduces resources and joy of living. He contends that there exist powerful traditions which oppose diversity. Proponents of these points of view concede that people may arrange their lives in a variety of fashions but they insist that there must be limits to variety, and further claim that these limits are constituted either by moral laws which regulate human action, or by physical laws which define our position in nature -
Paul Feyerabend Interview
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Death
Feyerabend dies of an inoperable brain tumor. -
Citations
"Feyerabend, Paul Karl." The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. . Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jan. 2019 https://www.encyclopedia.com.
Preston, John, "Paul Feyerabend", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/feyerabend/.
Bateman, Chris, Only a Game "Farewell to Reason" "https://onlyagame.typepad.com/only_a_game/2006/06/farewell_to_rea.html
