tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178284085080580526.post9039379369333222620..comments2024-02-12T23:25:09.583-08:00Comments on Overweening Generalist: There Is No "Scientific Method"michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526042582094867513noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178284085080580526.post-61313786506323462902011-09-14T21:03:56.916-07:002011-09-14T21:03:56.916-07:00The idea of "ideas in the air" has long ...The idea of "ideas in the air" has long fascinated me, and I often catch myself and wonder, "Do I think this because it's in the air lately? Have I sifted enough?" Also: really good ideas can be in the air, and I suspect this is an exciting historical moment of intellectual fermentation.<br /><br />I found "rodents" an unkind word choice, but that's Feyerabend. He seemed irascible, good-humored, mean-spirited, a part-time guerrilla ontologist, and was candid about his depressions. What a complex figure. He truly thought that disagreements were vital for science to progress and for democracy in general. Lots of disagreements. He is very much misunderstood, and I probably misunderstand a lot of him. I also suspect he was damaged by the political climate in which he was born. <br /><br />And when the first volume of Against Method came out, he got attacked on all sides. And he didn't know how to handle it. I think his role as a _type of intellectual_ was wildly misunderstood, and he shares this with RAW, I think.<br /><br />In fact, I seriously doubt our society has learned to make sense of guys like Feyerabend the Enigmatic.<br /><br />Thanks for reading, Mr. Wagner. And thanks always for your comments.michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13526042582094867513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178284085080580526.post-75209900372201589642011-09-14T16:55:43.980-07:002011-09-14T16:55:43.980-07:00Your comment "some ideas that may have gotten...Your comment "some ideas that may have gotten into the air" reminds me of Tillyard's discussion of intellectual currents in Shakespeare's London in his book on the Histories which I just finished.<br /><br />I don't like Feyerabend's use of the word "rodents."<br /><br />Your mention of the "world turned upside down" makes me think of Bob Wilson's unwritten novel.<br /><br />Mr. X in "JFK" reminded me of my dad.Eric Wagnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04312033917401203598noreply@blogger.com