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How To Defend Society Against Science

Sun, 2008-11-09 07:26 — ABN

The short quotes below are meant only to stimulate interest in this essay. Please do not take them as a substitute for the original, which is a delightful read. Feyerabend later softened some of the views expressed in this piece from 1975, but his core positions concerning science, education, and religion remain highly relevant today. ABN
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By Paul Feyerabend

...The lesson is plain: there does not exist a single argument that could be used to support the exceptional role which science today plays in society.

...even the most dedicated (i.e. totalitarian) instructor in a certain version of Christianity cannot prevent his pupils from getting in touch with Buddhists, Jews and other disreputable people. It is very different in the case of science, or of rationalism where the field is almost completely dominated by the believers.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Comments

Mon, 2008-11-17 19:21 — jjensenii

I really think you missed

I really think you missed the best quote:

"Truth" is such a nicely neutral word. Nobody would deny that it is commendable to speak the truth and wicked to tell lies. Nobody would deny that - and yet nobody knows what such an attitude amounts to. So it is easy to twist matters and to change allegiance to truth in one's everyday affairs into allegiance to the Truth of an ideology which is nothing but the dogmatic defense of that ideology.

I'm always excited to see someone taking an interest in Feyerabend, though. I think he's become more relevant than ever.

Tue, 2008-11-18 06:25 — ABN

I am happy to agree with you

I am happy to agree with you on the quotes and also on the relevance of Feyerabend.