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Feyerabend's Early Life
Paul Feyerabend was born into a middle-class family in Vienna Austria. Times were rough in the post-world war one Europe with food shortages, frequent hunger riots and prices were inflated. After Feyerabend graduated high school he was drafted into the into the Arbeitsdienst (Reich Labor Service). (Preston and Zalta) After completing basic training Feyerabend volunteered to join the officer academy to stay away from the front lines. -
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Feyerabend's Early Life Cont.
Ironically, Feyerabend was shot three times while trying to retreat. Feyerabend was shot in the spine and led him to be partially paralyzed until he later regained feeling and eventually was able to walk again with the aid of a cane for the rest of his life. -
Feyerabend's Education
Feyerabend was always looking for something new to do. He always had a passion for the arts but that quickly got old so instead he went to school to study theoretical physics. Feyerabend would regularly interrupt philosophy lectures with his friends. He would take a “radical positivist line that science is the basis of knowledge; that it is empirical; and that nonempirical enterprises are either logic or nonsense”.(Preston and Zalta) Feyerabend’s views would change as he got older. -
Against method
In 1970, Paul wrote one of his best pieces of work called "Against Method" which he was dissatisfied with any methodology. Preston describes how "Against Method" conclusion that there are no useful and exception less methodological rules governing the progress of science or the growth of knowledge. (Preston,2020) Paul wanted to separate science from the state like religion should be separated from the state. Paul wrote the book to try to free the people of the tyranny of science. -
Farewell to Reason
Farewell to reason was a series of papers printed together that's main theme was relativism was the key to deconflicting conflicts between life and beliefs. Relativism is the ideology that one should not judge another by their set of morals or standards because its all relative. Each culture is different and its unethical to say what is technically right and what is wrong because it relative to each culture/person. Paul uses "true for them" is not True for us" and that's okay. (Preston, 2020) -
Feyerabend in the End
Feyerabend reputation of critiquing the methodology of science gave him such titles like "The Worst Enemy of Science" but also lead to him being called a "leading cultural relativist" since he used as a solution for peace. (Preston,2020)
https://youtu.be/518FR6SbY_k(https://www.timetoast.com) -
References
Preston, John, "Paul Feyerabend", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2020/entries/feyerabend/. BBC, I. (Producer). (2019, June 6). Relativism: Is it wrong to judge other cultures? | A-Z of ISMs Episode 18 - BBC Ideas [Video file]. Retrieved February 6, 2021, from https://youtu.be/518FR6SbY_k
