The realism of Feyerabend: what he left for his posthumous book and the possible implications for physics education

Abstract

Paul Karl Feyerabend was one of the most influential epistemologists of science in the twentieth century and his influence seems only to increase in the 21st century. Author of classics of the modern philosophy of science as Against Method and Farewell to Reason, the philosopher left for his posthumous book, The Conquest of Abundance, an in-depth discussion of the theme of realism. The present article is prepared to bring precisely this approach made in Conquest of abundance, as well as in essays, about the reality, that Feyerabend published in the period that wrote the book, in a didactic and clear way. Also, one will try to discuss how from Feyerabend's understanding of the theme of realism one can glimpse possible implications of these questions, both in scientific education and in research in physics teaching. Where a possible conclusion is that belief in a fixed, immutable, universal and independent reality of the subject may be inadequate with the assumptions of Theory of Meaningful Learning Critical.