The Critique of Scientism in Feyerabend’s Philosophy

Abstract

Abstract

Feyerabend criticized the prevailing notion that science is neutral and follows a fixed methodology. He emphasized that scientific progress does not always occur through adherence to rules; rather, it often emerges when these rules are broken. Therefore, his famous slogan “anything goes” should not be understood as a call for epistemological chaos, but rather as an expression of the pluralistic and complex nature of science. He also rejected the strict separation between science and other forms of knowledge, arguing that science is not inherently superior but is simply one form of thought with its own history and context. From this perspective, his critique of scientism is a call to reconsider the status of science—not as the sole authority on truth, but as a field open to debate and revision, like any other.

Based on this understanding, Feyerabend’s critique is directed at scientism as a distortion of the nature of science, where it is no longer viewed as a mere method of inquiry, but turned into a dominant ideology that claims a monopoly on truth and excludes all other ways of thinking and knowing.