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The Birth
Paul Karl Feyerabend was born in Vienna 1924, during the aftermath of World War I, into a middle class family. -
The War
feyerabend spoke of being drafted into the Arbeitsdienst (Nazi work service) and sent to basic training. He opted to stay in Germany as part of the Pioneer Corps and his unit was posted at Quelerne en Bas. Soon after he volunteered for officer school with dreams to survive the war. Shortly after that his unit was deployed to Russia, and he was awarded the iron cross for leading his men through enemy fire to occupy a small village. -
Reterning to Vienna
Making a returned to Vienna, Feyerabend began to study history and sociology but then changed his interest to physics. Then publishing his first article on the concept on modern physics. -
Post War
In 1951 Feyerabend received his doctorate in philosophy for his thesis on "basic statements". He also applied for a British Council scholarship with hopes to study under Ludwig Wittgenstein at Cambridge University. Though unable to due to the untimely death of Wittgenstein. When Feyerabend arrived in England he had decided to study under Popper instead. Preston, John, "Paul Feyerabend", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), -
Attached to Popper
Feyerabend joined Popper in England at the London School of Economics where he concentrated on the Quantum theory, studied Wittgensteins's Philosophical works and even wrote a summary on Philosophical investigations. -
Notable Works
During 1958 Feyerabend was offered a lectureship at CAL Berkley where he wrote 2 of his most important early papers, "An Attempt at Realistic Interpretation of Experience" and "Complementarity". Throughout these papers he argued against positivism and in favor of scientific real accounts of the relation between theory and experience. These were largely influenced by Karl Poppers and his view of Falsifiability. -
Against Method
After the death of his close friend Imre lakatos, Feyerabend published his first book "Against Method". It was an epistemological anarchism theme with its main idea being that there is not such thing as scientific method. He believed that great scientists are "methodological opportunists" who use any means even if it violates the principles of empiricist methodology.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85pzjUvBZSI Paul Feyerabend: "Against Method", London: Verso, 1975. -
A Free Society
There were a series of responses to "Against Method" in which Feyerabend defended his theory against those who were critical of his work. To some extent, Feyerbend saw his works as undermining science's privileged position within culture, leading to depression and his later works critiquing within Western society. Feyerabend also pushed for a separation of science and state. -
"Farewell to Reason"
This collection demonstrated how diversity is beneficial, while uniformity reduces resources and joy of living. Feyerabend contended that there exist powerful traditions which oppose diversity. 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 -
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Final Days
His autobiography occupied him up until his death in 1994. His autobiography was published in 1995 as a 3rd volume of his philosophical papers. Feyerabend lived a full and accomplished life, influencing humanity even after death. Some of his last words were " I wish for all that remain of me would not be papers, not final declarations, but love". He is one of the most famous Philosophers of Science. . Killing Time: The Autobiography of Paul Feyerabend, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995
