Paul Feyerabend "Against Method"

“Against Method” by Paul Feyerabend

Separation of church and state is an attempt to remove religion from our social norms but philosopher Paul Feyerabend also believes in a separation between state and science. His philosophical point of view stems from the ideas that people are teaching science similar to those who forced religion onto people like non-Western tribes. This connection between religion and science seems to make up most of Feyerabends argument allowing him to question the purpose of schools forcing kids to learn sciences but never promoting or including the studies of other things. His apparent mockery of science relates the sciences to things like magic as well. He states “Thus while an American can now choose the religion he likes, he is still not permitted to demand that his children learn magic rather than science at school” (220).

Feyerabend’s ideal society, he claims, would be something similar to a marketplace of teachings. The society he desires is where humans at a young age would have the ability to learn many different types of knowledge and then choose which seems to intrigue them. Each method of learning whether science, magic, religion or excreta would help individuals get closer to the truth of life whatever they believe that is. Each practice of knowledge has to be set into specific parameters allowing humans to understand things not only from one type learned. Science he believes was so forced into our minds we are unable to make a distinction between what is true and the science we have learned.

My views on Feyerabend’s article are mixed. Where I do like the idea for children to have experience in more subjects than just science, I believe science is a crucial part of schooling. I also feel as though it is not just science that kids are learning but methods of questioning and problem solving that without the required science classes would be forgotten. The marketplace in his ideal society is a good notion but the amount that you could practically do with things like magic is hard to come by. His perspective is good to value though because a well rounded individual is in my perspective the best kind of individual. In society today I think that schools that offer a wider spectrum of courses such as liberal arts schools are a more practical way to learn deeper than just a core curriculum.

Below is a video from Harry Potter teaching magic similar to how we teach science in schools.