Petrunok N. Epistemological anarchism of Paul K. Feyerabend: historical, methodological, and disciplinary aspects.

This thesis presents a research of authentic features of the epistemological anarchism of Paul K. Feyerabend - one of the leading figures in the philosophy of science of the second half of the XX century. His unprecedented approach towards critical rationalism of Karl Popper brought essential changes into the post-positivistic tradition, and influenced contemporary philosophy and epistemology. This research shows theoretical and methodological peculiarities of the very context in which Feyerabend's position in the philosophy of science arose, how it developed, and whom it attacked. This research presents an attempt at overall reconstruction of the epistemological anarchism. This "anti-position" is treated as a highly polemical philosophical and vital attitude. First, it is stressed that Feyerabend abandons formally reliable way of acquiring knowledge and supports that one which is enriched with alternative approaches. What is more, as soon as scientific process is not determined by theory-to-fact correspondence, it is essential that a philosopher of science should treat it as a theory-to-theory correspondence with no ultimate "facts" ever. So everything - facts and observation language included - is determined by theories (or ideologies). Thus, Feyerabend brings us to the conclusion that it is impossible to rely on any universal methodology or trust any theory while estimating other theories and traditions.