Feyerabend on Free Will and Belief

From book Paul Feyerabend, The Tyranny of Science

Chapter 1. Conflict and Harmony.

p. 19. “However, there are lots of questions we can ask. Was it good that the ancient philosophers turned the traditional gods into Thought, Fire and unchanging blocks of Being? Was the change they recommended initiated by them or were they swept along by forces that they did not notice and over which they had no control? If so, what were these forces? Can we free ourselves from their influence or can we bend them so that they serve our wishes? And, if the latter, what are our wishes? Should we support the consequences of this gradual petrification of life and welcome the insights that came with it or should we look for something better? Does it really matter what we think?

p. 26. “QUESTION. Do you believe in God?

FEYERABEND. I don’t know. But I am certainly not an atheist or conceited agnostic; it takes a whole life to find out about these matters. I have a feeling that some kind of supreme bastard is around there somewhere. I’m working on it.”


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