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The Tyranny of Science

by Paul K. Feyerabend

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794336,104 (4)None
Paul Feyerabend is one of the greatest philosophers of science of the 20th century and his book Against Method is an international bestseller. In this new book he masterfully weaves together the main elements of his mature philosophy into a gripping tale: the story of the rise of rationalism in Ancient Greece that eventually led to the entrenchment of a mythical 'scientific worldview'. In this wide-ranging and accessible book Feyerabend challenges some modern myths about science, including the myth that 'science is successful'. He argues that some very basic assumptions about science are simply false and that substantial parts of scientific ideology were created on the basis of superficial generalizations that led to absurd misconceptions about the nature of human life. Far from solving the pressing problems of our age, such as war and poverty, scientific theorizing glorifies ephemeral generalities, at the cost of confronting the real particulars that make life meaningful. Objectivity and generality are based on abstraction, and as such, they come at a high price. For abstraction drives a wedge between our thoughts and our experience, resulting in the degeneration of both. Theoreticians, as opposed to practitioners, tend to impose a tyranny on the concepts they use, abstracting away from the subjective experience that makes life meaningful. Feyerabend concludes by arguing that practical experience is a better guide to reality than any theory, by itself, ever could be, and he stresses that there is no tyranny that cannot be resisted, even if it is exerted with the best possible intentions. Provocative and iconoclastic, The Tyranny of Science is one of Feyerabend's last books and one of his best. It will be widely read by everyone interested in the role that science has played, and continues to play, in the shaping of the modern world.… (more)
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According to editor Eric Oberheim, “Feyerabend argues that some very basic and widespread assumptions about ‘science’ are simply false, and that substantial parts of scientific ideology were created on the basis of rather superficial generalizations that lead to absurd misconceptions of the nature of human life. He argues that far from solving the pressing problems of our age, such as war and poverty, scientific theorizing glorifies ephemeral generalities instead of confronting the real particulars that make life worth living” (pg. xi). Feyerabend himself believes “science is quite exclusive” (pg. 6). and works to demonstrate how that is damaging.
Feyerabend returns again and again to the need to view science as something created by humans and subject to human flaws. He believes a combination of science and philosophy offers the best way forward, stating, “If we want to understand what is going on and if we want to change what displeases us then we have to know the nature both of the world and of human beings and we also have to know how they fit together” (pg. 10). To justify his examination, he states, “You can criticize science without becoming a scientist yourself. More especially, you can criticize scientific demands – demands for more money, more power, greater influence in politics and especially in education – without becoming a scientist. A democratic criticism of science not only is not an absurdity – it belongs to the nature of knowledge” (pgs. 35-36). Like other philosophers of science, Feyerabend wants to put theories and ideas into context. He states, “Ideas are results of historical accidents, social forces and the intelligence of some individuals and the idiocy of others. One of the ideas that is floating around and which I would like you to approach in a more relaxed fashion is the idea that science tells you everything there is to be known about the world and that ideas which conflict with science are not worth considering” (pg. 54). Looking at the privileging of one type of knowledge over another, he states, “Knowledge lies in the myth; it does not lie in the habits that guarantee survival. It does not matter that those relying on the myth occasionally give bad advice. For example, it did not matter that the myth-guided physicians in ancient Babylonia occasionally killed their patients while the practical healers were a little more successful. They know more – this alone sufficed” (pg. 67). Feyerabend questions the true subjectivity of science, arguing that it can never escape its historical and human context. He states, “An experimental result or an observation becomes a scientific fact only when it is clear that it does not contain any ‘subjective’ elements – that it can be detached from the process that led to its announcement. This means that values play an important role in the constitution of scientific facts” (pg. 94-95). Despite this awareness, Feyerabend identifies the work to remove historical and human context as something present in science extending back to ancient Greece. He states, “Knowledge, according to Plato, consists of statements which are acquired and tested by following certain rules… Or, to use modern terms: knowledge comes from theories, not from experience” (pg. 106). Feyerabend wants his followers to understand that “the knowledge we claim to possess, the very general knowledge provided by modern physical theory included, is an intricate web of theoretical principles and practical, almost bodily abilities and it cannot be understood by looking at theories exclusively” (pg. 108). ( )
  DarthDeverell | Jul 22, 2017 |
This is a collection of transcripts from a series of lectures that Feyerabend gave in the early 90s. Consequently there is no systematic philosophical account, but given the anti-method "anarchist" views of the author, the conversational style fits thematically (as well as making this an easy read).

Best known for his work Against Method, Feyerabend is best described not as a skeptic, which would imply a disbelief in science as the word is typically used, but an anarchistic critic of scientific methodologies. This is a compelling alternative to the widely-held view of an infallible, Truth-wielding science as the one and only means of establishing knowledge.

Note here that I'm using "science" in the most abstract, mainstream, golden-ideal sense of the term -- the definition you'd receive when asking someone who has spent little or no time wrestling with the underpinnings. The fact that not all types of science are created equally is one point of contention.

Feyerabend is clearly in what we might call the empiricist camp, though he is far from starstruck by what he sees as an emphasis on abstraction and theory to the exclusion of practical forms of knowing. The "anarchism" comes from Feyerabend's "anything goes" quote, meant not to throw out scientific methodologies but rather to step away from the Platonism -- the need to quantify and categorize -- and adopt an approach that is less method-driven and more pragmatic. The question should be "does it work?" rather than "is this what the book says?" In this he finds institutionalized "science", as often as not, to be more problematic than the process itself.

Feyerabend's philosophy is not above criticism, to be sure, but given the growing dominance of scientific (and scientistic) thought in our society, it's more important than ever to realize the limits of knowledge produced by the sciences -- and most important of all, what we do with that knowledge. With that goal in mind, this is a good introduction to sorely needed criticism. ( )
  chaosmogony | Apr 27, 2013 |
Considering that this book is just 134 pages long, it is a difficult read. It has been put together from a series of lectures given, I presume, to philosophy students. This means that the specialist language effect comes in to play. You know what I mean by that, if one gets a group of football fans together, they invariably start to spout the advantages of the 4-4-2 system over the 4-5-1, and whether wing-backs are preferable to purely defensive full-backs. So, in this book, the rank amateur needs to accept that some arguments are going to sail right over his/her head (or, at least they did mine).

Despite the above slight gripe, this is a fascinating read, which will certainly bear a repeat wrestle, at a later date. To continue to nit-pick, the title is slightly misleading; when I first opened the package containing this book, I felt that I must have made an error in ordering same. I was concerned that this would be a fully blown hatchet job on science. It isn't. Feyerabend takes on science and religion at the very point upon which their most strident exponents agree: namely their certitude. He argues against the theory of an empirical answer to every question.

Sadly, Feyerabend died in 1994: I would love to read his views upon the work currently being done by many famous theoretical scientists whereby they expect soon to announce a unifying theory of everything. I suspect that he would see similarities to the more strident exponents of various religious faiths, who are convinced that anyone who believes anything one iota different to themselves, is worthless and due to burn in Hell for all eternity.

Feyerabend argues for diversity of ideas. This flies so far in the face of what we are taught, that one's first reaction is to oppose (again, this might just be me) but, the more that one considers the concept, the more sense that it makes. In the field of agriculture we are busy trying to ensure diversity of strains so that, were we to be faced with a situation whereby a particular type of grain, for example, were to be attacked by a predator and become incapable of providing wheat for our bread, a different type which has been rejected, possibly because of a lesser efficiency, but with a defence to the attacker, could be used.

In general science, we are so busy reaching out for the ultimate answer (phrase borrowed from HH2G), that we steamroller anyone whose thoughts are at odds with the current direction. We have, therefore arrived at a situation whereby, as I understand it, we have two theories - one based upon gravity, which explains things within the 'Big World'. It works and can be used to calculate an accurate prediction of how future events will occur ( for example, when the next solar eclipse is due) - and Quantum Physics, which, works at the sub-atomic level, with a similar degree of accuracy. The only problem being, that the proof of 'Big Physics' means that Quantum Physics cannot work, and vice versa. To achieve some form of solution one, perhaps both sides of this debate need to step back but admitting that one is in error isn't easy.

We need a world in which divergent thoughts are, not just permitted, but actively encouraged and Feyerabend does an excellent job in reminding us of this. Through diversity comes the alternative which may be right - if not for everybody, then at leas for some. ( )
  the.ken.petersen | May 2, 2011 |
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Paul Feyerabend is one of the greatest philosophers of science of the 20th century and his book Against Method is an international bestseller. In this new book he masterfully weaves together the main elements of his mature philosophy into a gripping tale: the story of the rise of rationalism in Ancient Greece that eventually led to the entrenchment of a mythical 'scientific worldview'. In this wide-ranging and accessible book Feyerabend challenges some modern myths about science, including the myth that 'science is successful'. He argues that some very basic assumptions about science are simply false and that substantial parts of scientific ideology were created on the basis of superficial generalizations that led to absurd misconceptions about the nature of human life. Far from solving the pressing problems of our age, such as war and poverty, scientific theorizing glorifies ephemeral generalities, at the cost of confronting the real particulars that make life meaningful. Objectivity and generality are based on abstraction, and as such, they come at a high price. For abstraction drives a wedge between our thoughts and our experience, resulting in the degeneration of both. Theoreticians, as opposed to practitioners, tend to impose a tyranny on the concepts they use, abstracting away from the subjective experience that makes life meaningful. Feyerabend concludes by arguing that practical experience is a better guide to reality than any theory, by itself, ever could be, and he stresses that there is no tyranny that cannot be resisted, even if it is exerted with the best possible intentions. Provocative and iconoclastic, The Tyranny of Science is one of Feyerabend's last books and one of his best. It will be widely read by everyone interested in the role that science has played, and continues to play, in the shaping of the modern world.

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