The tyranny of science
Paul Feyerabend (Author), Eric Oberheim (Editor, Writer of introduction)
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. 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
Print Book, English, 2011
Polity Press, Cambridge, UK, 2011