Machiavelli against Method: Paul Feyerabend's Anti-Rationalism and Machiavellian Political 'Science' Academic Article

abstract

• 2016 Taylor & Francis. Contemporary scholars seeking to advance the study of political phenomena identify their inquiry as a science that attains success through rigorous method. Thus the methodological anarchism of Paul Feyerabends philosophy of science might seem an inauspicious place to find a fruitful disciplinary vision. Nonetheless, it echoes a longstanding conception of the science of politics articulated by Niccol Machiavelli. Looking to Feyerabend, we propose to surmount the impasse between Machiavellis account of politics and the demands of modern science and recover his contribution to the scientific study of politics. In doing so, Machiavelli illustrates the potential of a Feyerabendian political science.

authors

• Dyer, Megan
• Nederman, Cary

published proceedings

• HISTORY OF EUROPEAN IDEAS

altmetric score

• 0.5

author list (cited authors)

• Dyer, M. K., & Nederman, C. J.

citation count

• 2

complete list of authors

• Dyer, Megan K||Nederman, Cary J

publication date

• April 2016

publisher

• Taylor & Francis  Publisher

published in

• History of European Ideas  Journal

keywords

• Anti-rationalism
• Feyerabend
• Machiavelli
• Method
• Methodological Pluralism
• Philosophy Of Science
• Rationalism
• Social Science

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1080/01916599.2015.1118335

start page

• 430

end page

• 445

volume

• 42

issue

• 3

URL

• http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1080%2F01916599.2015.1118335