A Preliminary Inquiry Of Feyerabend's Free Thought

The free thought is the core and the soul of Feyerabend's thought of philosophy. According to developing logic of Feyerabend's thought of philosophy of science and the change of his thought key and basing on the reality that the former investigation on Feyerabend deviates to his thought of scientific freedom, this article reconstructs Feyerabend's free thought completely and systematically. This is the important basis that the article selects this topic. At the same time, this article is the first time to elaborate Feyerabend's free thought in details and systematically and that is what the article's significance is.This article elaborates Feyerabend's free thought from three major parts: intrinsic free in science,free society thought and individual free thought.What is talking about in the first part of the article is his thought of intrinsic free in science. Feyerabend's thought of intrinsic free in science contains two important aspects: methodology freedom and epistemological freedom:namely method polyphyletism and anarchistic epistemology.This part includes four contents: First is his critique to rationalism. Here he advocates "theory proliferation" which is called theory polyphyletism and opposes theory monism which requests "the unique nature" and advocates ideology polyphyletism. He criticizes the traditional viewpoint which equates the science to the logos and points out limitation of the rational method and the vital role non- rational method takes in the science. Second, his critique to empiricism. Here he mainly criticizes the principle of objectivity and neutrality of experience facts which is called the foundation of the traditional scientific viewpoint and three major genres as well as the logical empiricism, the critique rationalism and the historical principle and points out non- objectivity of experience fact. Expositing to the empiricism methodology principle of"objectivity and neutrality of experience facts"and"the theory must be consistent with the fact", Feyerabend proposes his own unique"the counter-induction". Third, his critique to the traditional scientific philosophy thought—the logical empiricism, the critique rationalism and Lakatos's fine falsity tested principle. Fourth is his scientific intrinsic free thought. In the scientific epistemology, he points out that the science essentially is one kind of anarchism enterprise. The scientific discovery and the development are non- rational, and the science is not according to the fixed pattern development, and it is not decided by the courts of rationality. In the scientific methodology, he points out that the scientific method is many Yuan, and he denies existing one standard methodology, and the scientific methodology only principle is:"anything goes".The article's second elaborates Feyerabend's free society thought mainly from three aspects. First is his equality thought of numerous tradition. This part includes three contents. First is his critique to the two big foundations of scientific superiority which are scientific method superiority and the scientific achievement superiority. Next is his critique to the viewpoint which making the science as the standard of judging the other tradition. Finally is his critique to the thought which considers the science with the non- science is separated. Second, he initiates the democracy supervises science, appealing to cancels the scientist, the expert, intellectual's superior social position and the social privilege. The democracy determination is higher than expert opinion's. Expert's opinion frequently has the prejudice and is unreliable, needing the external control. The layman may moreover have to supervise the science. Third, he pointed out the science must separate with the state power. He thinks the science therefore is at one kind of superior position and controls all. It is not because it has the merit of objectivity and the stronger truth, but is as a result of the science and national closely integrated, as well as the state apparatus is conceited and provide the guarantee for the science to suppress other cultures. Therefore, if we want to realize the true freedom especially in ideology freedom, the science must separate with the state power.The third part of the article is talking about Feyerabend's individual free thought. This part also elaborates from three aspects. First, he points out, the science unifies with the state power seriously enfetter people's freedom as the ideology. Therefore, he initiates the science must separate with the country and the individual having the right to choose their life style freely. Next, through his critique to the reality that education is monopolized by science, he points out: In order to prevent "the reason pollution", the science must separate with the education. Once more, Feyerabend thinks the science has forgotten people's life world as a cultural style, and has been separated from humanity's cultural life practice. Meanwhile, along with the science becoming more and more rationalized and sacred, humanity's cultural life becomes monotonous and humdrum day by day. Regarding this, Feyerabend thinks the science should supposed to be "returning to life" as the culture life style. In other words, the rationalist should return to in the real life, and pays attention to humanity's cultural life practice. He should"farewell to rationality", developing culture multiplicity, and creates the richly and colorful life.At the last part of the article, I points out two essential aspects which must be pay attention to on how to appraise Feyerabend's scientific philosophy thought. One is his unique critical method:"rectified in vain", two is the methodology principle which he proposed:"Returning to the historical data".