Paul Feyerabend ranks among the most exciting and influential philosophers of science of the twen... more Paul Feyerabend ranks among the most exciting and influential philosophers of science of the twentieth century. This book reconstructs Feyerabend's pluralistic conceptions of knowledge and philosophy as they developed from the late 1940s through to his infamous "Against Method". It combines a historical narrative of the main influences on his developing ideas with a systematic investigation of their merits. It presents Feyerabend as a philosopher who promoted pluralism in the pursuit of progress.
This paper attempts to show how Kuhn's and Wittgenstein's works can be of mutual assistan... more This paper attempts to show how Kuhn's and Wittgenstein's works can be of mutual assistance despite their apparent heterogeneity. One face of this project is to analyse the conceptual aspects of paradigm change in physics as described by Kuhn with the help of Wittgensteinian tools, especially what he calls "nonsense" and "grammar", as well as the metaphors of the "hinges" and the "ladder" he employs. On this basis, the paper investigates the process through which a teacher can teach radically new concepts to science students still entrenched in the old incommensurable scientific paradigm. It articulates the thesis according to which the judicious use of nonsense is the indispensable ladder for the elucidation of the novel concepts and for the acquisition of the novel paradigm. The other face of the project is, reciprocally, to use Kuhnian concepts in order to attain a better understanding of Wittgenstein's undertaking. From this side, the paper attempts showing that Wittgenstein's early philosophy in the Tractatus can be understood as a major (perhaps the most) radical "paradigm shift" for the whole "disciplinary matrix", of philosophy. This paradigm change in philosophy is of a very particular kind since it aims to silence philosophy in its entirety by erasing all philosophical problems without exception.
Paul Feyerabend ranks among the most exciting and influential philosophers of science of the twen... more Paul Feyerabend ranks among the most exciting and influential philosophers of science of the twentieth century. This book reconstructs Feyerabend's pluralistic conceptions of knowledge and philosophy as they developed from the late 1940s through to his infamous "Against Method". It combines a historical narrative of the main influences on his developing ideas with a systematic investigation of their merits. It presents Feyerabend as a philosopher who promoted pluralism in the pursuit of progress.
This paper attempts to show how Kuhn's and Wittgenstein's works can be of mutual assistan... more This paper attempts to show how Kuhn's and Wittgenstein's works can be of mutual assistance despite their apparent heterogeneity. One face of this project is to analyse the conceptual aspects of paradigm change in physics as described by Kuhn with the help of Wittgensteinian tools, especially what he calls "nonsense" and "grammar", as well as the metaphors of the "hinges" and the "ladder" he employs. On this basis, the paper investigates the process through which a teacher can teach radically new concepts to science students still entrenched in the old incommensurable scientific paradigm. It articulates the thesis according to which the judicious use of nonsense is the indispensable ladder for the elucidation of the novel concepts and for the acquisition of the novel paradigm. The other face of the project is, reciprocally, to use Kuhnian concepts in order to attain a better understanding of Wittgenstein's undertaking. From this side, the paper attempts showing that Wittgenstein's early philosophy in the Tractatus can be understood as a major (perhaps the most) radical "paradigm shift" for the whole "disciplinary matrix", of philosophy. This paradigm change in philosophy is of a very particular kind since it aims to silence philosophy in its entirety by erasing all philosophical problems without exception.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Spring 2013 (substantive content change)
The term 'incommensurable' means 'no common measure', having ... more The term 'incommensurable' means 'no common measure', having its origins in Ancient Greek mathematics, where it meant no common measure between magnitudes. For example, there is no common measure between the length of the leg and the length of the hypotenuse of ...
Springer Nature / Vienna Circle Institute Library, Vol. 5, 2020
This book offers an inside look into the notoriously tumultuous, professional relationship of two... more This book offers an inside look into the notoriously tumultuous, professional relationship of two great minds: Karl Popper and Paul Feyerabend. It collects their complete surviving correspondence (1948-1967) and contains previously unpublished papers by both. An introduction situates the correspondence in its historical context by recounting how they first came to meet and an extensive editorial apparatus provides a wealth of background information along with systematic mini-biographies of persons named.
Taken together, the collection presents Popper and Feyerabend’s controversial ideas against the background of the postwar academic environment. It exposes key aspects of an evolving student-mentor relationship that eventually ended amidst increasing accusations of plagiarism. Throughout, readers will find in-depth discussions on a wide range of intriguing topics, including an ongoing debate over the foundations of quantum theory and Popper’s repeated attempts to design an experiment that would test different interpretations of quantum mechanics. The captivating exchange between Feyerabend and Popper offers a valuable resource that will appeal to scientists, laymen, and a wide range of scholars: especially philosophers, historians of science and philosophy and, more generally, intellectual historians.
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Papers by Eric Oberheim
Taken together, the collection presents Popper and Feyerabend’s controversial ideas against the background of the postwar academic environment. It exposes key aspects of an evolving student-mentor relationship that eventually ended amidst increasing accusations of plagiarism. Throughout, readers will find in-depth discussions on a wide range of intriguing topics, including an ongoing debate over the foundations of quantum theory and Popper’s repeated attempts to design an experiment that would test different interpretations of quantum mechanics. The captivating exchange between Feyerabend and Popper offers a valuable resource that will appeal to scientists, laymen, and a wide range of scholars: especially philosophers, historians of science and philosophy and, more generally, intellectual historians.