The Polish philosophical journal Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy [Philosophical Aspects of Origin] and Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation hereby announce a special issue dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Paul K. Feyerabend.

The editors of this special issue will be Kazimierz Jodkowski, Gonzalo Munévar, Krzysztof J. Kilian, and Grzegorz Malec.  

Feyerabend is both one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century and a thinker who is difficult to interpret. He worked for almost forty years, changed his views, and did not seek to present them systematically. He has been labelled in various ways, ranging from “logical empiricist” to “postmodernist,” from “scientific realist” to “scientific anti-realist,” from “rationalist” to “irrationalist,” from Popperian to Wittgensteinian, and from neo-Kantian to neo-Hegelian.

For some, Feyerabend was the worst enemy of science, whilst for others he represents the worst enemy of the scientific establishment – the fiercest critic of all shades of conformity and of the status quo. This diversity of labels and assessments suggests that one cannot encounter his philosophy while remaining indifferent. Such a conclusion is borne out by the enormous amount of literature devoted to him, along with discussions and controversies, divergent interpretations, and hasty judgements.

Feyerabend’s work has been the subject of many studies and polemics, both because of the issues he addressed and the way he wrote, which is often rather obscure and not very attentive to detail. As a philosopher of science, he challenged the idea of its cumulative development, questioning the hitherto commonly accepted assumption of its rationality, along with the convictions that modern theories are better than their predecessors because they are devoid of superstition, broader because they cover a wider range of phenomena, and deeper because they explain those aspects of the world into which research is conducted with fewer, more basic principles. He defended the position that some successive theories, which he called “universal theories”, are incommensurable: that is, incomparable in some important respects.

Feyerabend interpreted many important episodes in the history of science in ways that sparked controversy. He maintained that traditional approaches to scientific knowledge and methodology are flawed, because scientists do not act “rationally” as philosophers construe this word.

He demanded that science, like other institutions of a free and democratic society, should be subject to democratic control. He argued that cultural diversity brings benefits, while monotony limits humanity. As a philosopher, Feyerabend searched throughout his life for a worldview in which pluralism and diversity of ideas would play a significant role, calling in this context for a reshaping of society.

The 100th anniversary of his birth offers an appropriate occasion for revisiting his philosophy and highlighting its most valuable aspects.

Submission information:

Submissions can be sent directly to Grzegorz Malec, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy [Philosophical Aspects of Origin], at: g.malec@fag.ifil.uz.zgora.pl

Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy [Philosophical Aspects of Origin] offers remuneration for articles that have been accepted for publication.

About our remuneration policy: https://fag.ifil.uz.zgora.pl/index.php/fag/remuneration_for_authors
About the review process: https://fag.ifil.uz.zgora.pl/index.php/fag/review_process
Journal website: https://fag.ifil.uz.zgora.pl/index.php/fag/index
Guide for authors: https://fag.ifil.uz.zgora.pl/index.php/fag/about/submissions

Submission deadline: October 31, 2023

Please submit your willingness to write for this volume by July 1, 2023 at: g.malec@fag.ifil.uz.zgora.pl. This will help us in planning this special issue.