-
Period: to
Early Life and Education of Paul Feyerabend (1924-1951)
Paul Feyerabend was born in Vienna, Austria, on January 13th, 1924, and remained until he was drafted into the Arbeitsdienst (Reich Labor Service) in 1942. After the war, he got a job in education in Apolda, Germany, but left after three months for a state fellowship in Weimar. He returned to Vienna to study at university, and in 1948, he met Karl Popper, who became his largest influence. In 1951, he earned his doctorate in philosophy for his thesis "Basic Statements" (Preston). -
Interpetation of Experience (1958)
In 1958, Feyerabend wrote his paper "An Attempt at a Realistic Interpretation of Experience," in which he explores the relationship between experience and theories. In this instance, he also begins to lay the groundwork for his idea that the terms used in theory as well as in observation are not inherently different. -
Against Method (1975)
In 1975, Feyerabend published his most significant work: "Against Method." This work challenges the idea of a scientific method as a basis for science, not just a set of guidelines. His goal with this was to be as extreme as possible; as a result, he set the stage for epistemological anarchism. The work was to be a joint project with Imre Lakatos, whose untimely death a year before prevented the rationalist response, "For Method," from being published (Anything Can Go (1993); Preston). -
Science in a Free Society (1978)
In 1978, Feyerabend's second major work was published. In "Science in a Free Society," he clarifies the ideas of epistemological anarchism; he implies that without a scientific method, there is no basis for science to be considered the supreme method of knowledge gathering because the process that leads to knowledge depends on non-scientific factors (Preston). Feyerabend also responds to the critics of Against Method in a section titled "Conversations with Illiterates"(Feyerabend, Science). -
Farewell to Reason (1987)
In 1987, Feyerabend published "Farewell to Reason," a collection of works centered around the central theme that reason itself is baseless because it is subjective. Feyerabend argues that reason doesn't have a clear definition, and therefore, the notion a theory is superior based on the field it originates from is flawed and harmful. His answer to these interdisciplinary disputes is relativism, treating others' beliefs as "true to them" while remaining that ours are "true for us" (Preston). -
Anything Can Go (1993)
This interview of Paul Feyerabend was conducted in October of 1993, in which he discusses some of the background workings, personal interactions, and thought processes that led him to his philosophy of science. Four months later, on February 11th, 1994, Paul Feyerabend passed away in Genolier, Switzerland (Preston).