The Tyranny of Science

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Paul K. Feyerabend (University of California at Berkeley, and Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich)

The Tyranny of Science

Paul K. Feyerabend (University of California at Berkeley, and Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich)

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English

Polity Press
01 April 2011

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.

By: Paul K. Feyerabend (University of California at Berkeley and Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich)
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 143mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 336g
ISBN: 9780745651897
ISBN 10: 0745651895
Pages: 180
Publication Date: 01 April 2011
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chapter 1 Conflict and Harmony Chapter 2 The Disunity of Science Chapter 3 The Abundance of Nature Chapter 4 Dehumanizing Humans Editor's notes Literature

Paul Feyerabend was one of the twentieth century's leading philosophers of science. His most well-known books are Against Method and Science in a Free Society.

Reviews for The Tyranny of Science

In this posthumously published book, the maverick philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend questions the dominance of abstract, theoretical, objectivist science over more human modes of thought. New Scientist Stimulating, thought-provoking, and hugely entertaining. Morning Star Both the style of presentation, and the question and answer sessions, will make this book accessible to a popular readership. It will be met with enthusiasm by those with a prior engagement with Feyerabend's work. Metascience Feyerabend is not attacking science but rather the ideology of science and the metaphysical pronouncements of philosophers and theoreticians. He makes an eloquent and imaginative plea for the importance of the diverse forms of knowledge embodied in the practicalities of everyday life. David Bloor, University of Edinburgh The Tyranny of Science is no work of arid scholarship or technical philosophy. It is the work of a philosophical story-teller who recounts 'fairytales' to situate the ideas he discusses. Feyerabend brings science and philosophy down from the heights of abstract theory to the ground of practice and experience which animates them. Howard Sankey, University of Melbourne