Tyranny of science / Paul Feyerabend ; edited, and with an introduction, by Eric Oberheim.

Author/creator Feyerabend, Paul
Other author Oberheim, Eric.
Format Book
Publication InfoCambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity Press, 2011.
Descriptionxii, 153 pages ; 22 cm
Subjects
Science--Philosophy.
Philosophy and science.

Uniform titleAmbiguità e armonia. English
Contents Conflict and harmony -- The disunity of science -- The abundance of nature -- Dehumanizing humans.
Abstract Paul Feyerabend is one of the greatest philosophers of science of the twentieth century and his book Against Method was an international bestseller. In this new book he masterfully weaves together the main elements of his mature philosophy into a gripping tales the story of the rise of rationalism in Ancient Greece that eventually led to the entrenchment of a mythical scientific worldview.
Summary Feyerabend 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.
Summary 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 from the subjective experience that makes life meaningful. Feyerabend argues that practical experience is a better guide to reality than any theory by itself ever could be, and stresses that there is no tyranny that cannot be resisted, even if exerted with the best possible intentions.
Summary 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.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (p. 143-146) and index.
LCCN 2011381399
ISBN0745651895 (hb)
ISBN9780745651897 (hb)
ISBN0745651909 (pbk.)
ISBN9780745651903 (pbk.)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks Q175 .F49 2011 ✔ Available Place Hold