Paul Feyerabend (1924-1994) was Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Feyerabend was definitely one of the great thinkers of twentieth century philosophy."—Philosophy Now"Feyerabend famously quipped that the only rule of method is that anything goes. Philosophy of Nature sheds light on his transition from critical rationalist to epistemological anarchist. Ranging from Stonehenge and Homer to Bohr and Einstein, the book creatively explores the relations of mythological thought to philosophy and science."—Howard Sankey, University of Melbourne"In this book, we can see another side of this multi-faceted figure: Feyerabend as a historical philosopher of nature and as an analyst of the development of ancient Greek philosophy. This puts some of his apparently outrageous positions into perspective and reveals their sometimes quite sophisticated background."—Paul Hoyningen-Huene, Leibniz Universität Hannover

• Paul Feyerabend, an Historical Philosopher of Nature viiEditorial Notes xxviiiPaul Feyerabend: Philosophy of Nature 1Preliminary Note 31. Presuppositions of Myths, and the Knowledge of their Inventors 51.1. Stone Age Art and Knowledge of Nature 91.2. Megalithic Astronomy (Stonehenge) 151.3. Critique of Primitivist Interpretations of the Prehistoric Era 221.4. The Dynamic Worldview of Stone Age Humans 262. The Structure and Function of Myths 342.1. Theories of Myth 362.2. The Theory of Nature Myths and Structuralism 463. Homer’s Aggregate Universe 503.1. The Paratactic World of Archaic Art 513.2. Worldview and Knowledge in Homer’s Epics 653.3. Views of Reality and the Language of Science: Some Basic Considerations 774. Transition to an Explicitly Conceptual Approach to Nature 874.1. The New World of the Philosophers: Advantages and Disadvantages 914.2. Historical Factors for the Emergence of Philosophy 964.3. Predecessors in Hesiod’s and Oriental Cosmogonies 1045. Philosophy of Nature through Parmenides 1135.1. Hesiod and Anaximander: Changing Worldviews 1145.2. Xenophanes: Critic of Religion and Epistemologist 1345.3. Parmenides: The Origins of Western Philosophy of Nature 1476. Western Philosophy of Nature from Aristotle to Bohr 1586.1. Aristotle’s Research Program 1596.2. Descartes: The Mathematical Approach to Nature 1696.3. Galileo, Bacon, Agrippa: Empiricism without Foundations 1736.4. Hegel: The Dynamics of Concepts 1856.5. Newton, Leibniz, Mach: Problems of Mechanism 1926.6. Einstein, Bohr, Bohm: Signs of a New Era 1977. Conclusion 205Paul Feyerabend: Previously Unpublished Documents 209Letter to Jack J. C. Smart, December 1963 211Preparation (Request for a Sabbatical, 1977) 220Report on 1980 Sabbatical 232Bibliography 235Index 250

Paul Feyerabend (1924-1994) was Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Feyerabend was definitely one of the great thinkers of twentieth century philosophy."—Philosophy Now"Feyerabend famously quipped that the only rule of method is that anything goes. Philosophy of Nature sheds light on his transition from critical rationalist to epistemological anarchist. Ranging from Stonehenge and Homer to Bohr and Einstein, the book creatively explores the relations of mythological thought to philosophy and science."—Howard Sankey, University of Melbourne"In this book, we can see another side of this multi-faceted figure: Feyerabend as a historical philosopher of nature and as an analyst of the development of ancient Greek philosophy. This puts some of his apparently outrageous positions into perspective and reveals their sometimes quite sophisticated background."—Paul Hoyningen-Huene, Leibniz Universität Hannover

• Paul Feyerabend, an Historical Philosopher of Nature viiEditorial Notes xxviiiPaul Feyerabend: Philosophy of Nature 1Preliminary Note 31. Presuppositions of Myths, and the Knowledge of their Inventors 51.1. Stone Age Art and Knowledge of Nature 91.2. Megalithic Astronomy (Stonehenge) 151.3. Critique of Primitivist Interpretations of the Prehistoric Era 221.4. The Dynamic Worldview of Stone Age Humans 262. The Structure and Function of Myths 342.1. Theories of Myth 362.2. The Theory of Nature Myths and Structuralism 463. Homer’s Aggregate Universe 503.1. The Paratactic World of Archaic Art 513.2. Worldview and Knowledge in Homer’s Epics 653.3. Views of Reality and the Language of Science: Some Basic Considerations 774. Transition to an Explicitly Conceptual Approach to Nature 874.1. The New World of the Philosophers: Advantages and Disadvantages 914.2. Historical Factors for the Emergence of Philosophy 964.3. Predecessors in Hesiod’s and Oriental Cosmogonies 1045. Philosophy of Nature through Parmenides 1135.1. Hesiod and Anaximander: Changing Worldviews 1145.2. Xenophanes: Critic of Religion and Epistemologist 1345.3. Parmenides: The Origins of Western Philosophy of Nature 1476. Western Philosophy of Nature from Aristotle to Bohr 1586.1. Aristotle’s Research Program 1596.2. Descartes: The Mathematical Approach to Nature 1696.3. Galileo, Bacon, Agrippa: Empiricism without Foundations 1736.4. Hegel: The Dynamics of Concepts 1856.5. Newton, Leibniz, Mach: Problems of Mechanism 1926.6. Einstein, Bohr, Bohm: Signs of a New Era 1977. Conclusion 205Paul Feyerabend: Previously Unpublished Documents 209Letter to Jack J. C. Smart, December 1963 211Preparation (Request for a Sabbatical, 1977) 220Report on 1980 Sabbatical 232Bibliography 235Index 250

Paul Feyerabend (1924-1994) was Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Feyerabend was definitely one of the great thinkers of twentieth century philosophy."—Philosophy Now"Feyerabend famously quipped that the only rule of method is that anything goes. Philosophy of Nature sheds light on his transition from critical rationalist to epistemological anarchist. Ranging from Stonehenge and Homer to Bohr and Einstein, the book creatively explores the relations of mythological thought to philosophy and science."—Howard Sankey, University of Melbourne"In this book, we can see another side of this multi-faceted figure: Feyerabend as a historical philosopher of nature and as an analyst of the development of ancient Greek philosophy. This puts some of his apparently outrageous positions into perspective and reveals their sometimes quite sophisticated background."—Paul Hoyningen-Huene, Leibniz Universität Hannover

• Paul Feyerabend, an Historical Philosopher of Nature viiEditorial Notes xxviiiPaul Feyerabend: Philosophy of Nature 1Preliminary Note 31. Presuppositions of Myths, and the Knowledge of their Inventors 51.1. Stone Age Art and Knowledge of Nature 91.2. Megalithic Astronomy (Stonehenge) 151.3. Critique of Primitivist Interpretations of the Prehistoric Era 221.4. The Dynamic Worldview of Stone Age Humans 262. The Structure and Function of Myths 342.1. Theories of Myth 362.2. The Theory of Nature Myths and Structuralism 463. Homer’s Aggregate Universe 503.1. The Paratactic World of Archaic Art 513.2. Worldview and Knowledge in Homer’s Epics 653.3. Views of Reality and the Language of Science: Some Basic Considerations 774. Transition to an Explicitly Conceptual Approach to Nature 874.1. The New World of the Philosophers: Advantages and Disadvantages 914.2. Historical Factors for the Emergence of Philosophy 964.3. Predecessors in Hesiod’s and Oriental Cosmogonies 1045. Philosophy of Nature through Parmenides 1135.1. Hesiod and Anaximander: Changing Worldviews 1145.2. Xenophanes: Critic of Religion and Epistemologist 1345.3. Parmenides: The Origins of Western Philosophy of Nature 1476. Western Philosophy of Nature from Aristotle to Bohr 1586.1. Aristotle’s Research Program 1596.2. Descartes: The Mathematical Approach to Nature 1696.3. Galileo, Bacon, Agrippa: Empiricism without Foundations 1736.4. Hegel: The Dynamics of Concepts 1856.5. Newton, Leibniz, Mach: Problems of Mechanism 1926.6. Einstein, Bohr, Bohm: Signs of a New Era 1977. Conclusion 205Paul Feyerabend: Previously Unpublished Documents 209Letter to Jack J. C. Smart, December 1963 211Preparation (Request for a Sabbatical, 1977) 220Report on 1980 Sabbatical 232Bibliography 235Index 250