15h 59min, feb 11, 1994 y - Death

Description:

Paul Feyerabend died in Switzerland.

Summary:

Paul Feyerabend thoughts on the scientific method were closely related to that of Thomas Kuhn in the aspect that they both believed that any attempt to create a strict account of scientific change is inappropriate for how science works and should work. The contributions that Paul Feyerabend made to the philosophy of science are evident with his first major work Against Method (1975). This book outlined what he is known the most for, which is that science has no method. Feyerabend, who did not consider himself a philosopher of science, argued in his first major work that philosophy could not provide a rationale for science because there is no rationale to explain it. Feyerabend summed up his arguments with a simple phrase, “anything goes.” This saying can sum up his philosophies because that is exactly what he believed. He believed the most productive science was during a state of crisis and revolution because of the creativity of the time. He believed this was better than the scientists following a strict method that lacked creativity and fresh ideas. He always proclaimed that he was prescience rather than anti-science, despite what his critics said. He saw science as an opportunistic flow of ideas from individuals being creative rather than a strict methodical regime being controlled by the state.

Works Cited

Preston, John. “Paul Feyerabend.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 26 Aug. 1997, plato.stanford.edu/entries/feyerabend/.

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