Paul Feyerabend Quotes on Truth
Paul Karl Feyerabend was an Austrian-born philosopher of science best known for his anti-methodological critique of the philosophy of science. This page collects quotes attributed to Paul Feyerabend on the topic of truth, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Paul Feyerabend:
“The only principle that does not inhibit progress is: anything goes.”
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“Science is an essentially anarchic enterprise.”
p. 9. -
Attributed to Paul Feyerabend:
“There is no idea, however ancient and absurd, that is not capable of improving our knowledge.”
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Attributed to Paul Feyerabend:
“Reason is one tradition among others; it has no claim to universal authority.”
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“It is clear, then, that the idea of a fixed method, or of a fixed theory or rationality, rests on too naive a view of man and his social surroundings. To those who look at the rich material provided by history, and who are not intent on impoverishing it in order to please their lower instincts, their craving for intellectual security in the form of clarity, precision, "objectivity", "truth", it will become clear that there is only one principle that can be defended under all circumstances and in all stages of human development. It is the principle: anything goes.”
Pg. 27 & 28, italics are Feyerabend's