Throughout the soil-cracking main files out of this age of Feyerabend’s oeuvre such as “How to become an effective Empiricist” (1963), “Realism and you may Instrumentalism” (1964), “Dilemmas from Empiricism” and you may “Reply to Ailment” (1965), his most critical disagreement having medical realism was methodological: realism try fashionable since it requires the newest growth of brand new and in conflict theories. This can lead to scientific progress because results in for each principle with much more empirical content so it otherwise do, since a good theory’s testability is proportional into amount of possible falsifiers it’s, and also the production of option concepts ‘s the only legitimate method so that the lifetime off prospective falsifiers. Very scientific progress arrives using “theoretic pluralism”, making it 
possible for an effective plurality from in conflict theories, all of that contribute from the battle so you can keeping and improving the fresh testability, and thus the brand new empirical content, of your others. He ergo idealised exactly what Kuhn named “pre-paradigm” symptoms and you may “medical designs”, occasions when there are many different incompatible ideas, the forced to produce using its race collectively. Having Feyerabend, this notion is actually a keen empiricist misconception hence concealed the fresh new role away from artistic and societal factors in principle-choices.
Only ideas which are empirically enough usually thus contribute to raising the fresh new empirical articles of their fellows
At this point, new conflict having theoretical pluralism largely follows compared to John Stuart Mill’s To the Freedom (1859), that Feyerabend commonly paid down honor. However, Feyerabend proceeded to try and demonstrated a mechanism whereby theories can enhance their empirical articles. Predicated on which a portion of the conflict, concepts will get deal with difficulties that will just be discovered toward assistance of alternative concepts. A theory will likely be incorrect instead of the having the ability to see it within the an immediate means: either the development of brand new experimental measures and you can products which could inform you the fresh incorrectness is omitted by the guidelines off nature, both the new difference (had been that it is receive) was considered a keen oddity, that will not considering the correct translation. Circumstances can thus conspire to hide off us the new infirmities off our very own idea. Brand new methodological “concept out-of testability” requires that individuals produce solution theories in conflict to your current concept, and produce them in their most effective mode, as meanings out-of facts, not simple tool from prediction. In place of waiting before the latest theory goes into issues, and simply then starting to see selection, we ought vigorously to help you proliferate theories and you can tenaciously guard them during the the fresh new hope that they can afford united states a secondary refutation from our very own current principle. But Feyerabend claims one any principle, it doesn’t matter what weak, could become empirically enough, and so will get subscribe to this action. Becoming a good realist, he ergo indicates, relates to requiring support when it comes down to principle, and far-fetched conjectures which have no separate empirical help, conjectures which are contradictory with study and well-affirmed regulations. We would like to preserve ideas that will be in big trouble, and invent and create theories you to oppose the newest noticed phenomena, just because into the doing so i will be respecting brand new intellectual ideal regarding testability.
Within the thus appealing to the fresh “principle regarding testability” due to the fact finest methodological maxim, Feyerabend forgets you to definitely testability need to be exchanged-of up against other theoretical virtues. Only their pathological concern about theories shedding their empirical articles and you will getting mythology leads him to want to increase testability and you will embrace a totally unrestricted idea off proliferation. He as well as disregards historic facts one anti-realist approaches is just as pluralistic once the reality.
But he downplayed the idea that concepts are still compared with both primarily due to their capability to account for the results out-of observance and you can try out
On Alpbach within the 1964, Feyerabend and Feigl together led a workshop towards the latest advancement out-of analytic beliefs. Around Feyerabend re-met with the best light of one’s Logical Positivist way, Rudolph Carnap (which he previously currently fulfilled in the UCLA). Carnap attempted to encourage Feyerabend of virtues out of understanding, however, were unsuccessful. Feyerabend had been attached to “scientific” viewpoints, and you will felt beliefs worthless unless it made a confident and you can quantifiable sum towards growth of knowledge (and therefore, obviously, suggested research).