INT. THE EPISTEME CAFE - NIGHT (a dimly lit bar located somewhere between the University of Hard Knocks and Skid Row. The Music: Bad. The Clientele: Worse than the music. There are a half dozen people in the bar, each one more strung out than the next.) Thomas Kuhn, Physicist turned Philosopher, winces as the squeaky door to the Episteme Cafe shuts behind him. He walks up to the bar, sits on an empty stool and looks around nervously. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices someone that looks a lot like Paul Feyerabend. (Feyerabend and Kuhn have a history. Both are professors who share a focus on the philosophy of science. The similarities, however, stop there. Kuhn is the more reserved of the two, despite having set the scientific community on its ear with his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Feyerabend, on the other hand...let’s just say that he is more “colourful” in his approach to science. His Against Method was the Malleus Maleficarum of its time and earned him his anarchist stripes. Feyerabend lives by the creed “Anything goes”). BARTENDER What’ll ya have? KUHN I’ll have a Martini please. BARTENDER Alright Mr. Fancy pants, one martini coming right up. Making these is an exact science you know… The bartender gives Kuhn the once over and starts to select the ingredients for his libation. Feyerabend, clearly trying to hear as much as the conversation between the two as possible, seizes his opportunity to join in...
2.
FEYERABEND If you allow me to interject I would like to stop you right there barkeep. Science is nothing more than a mishmash of hypotheses that are generally put in place to preserve an over-arching, preestablished and often times flawed, scientific method. Whatever...
BARTENDER
The bartender finishes mixing Kuhn’s cocktail, hands it to him and walks to the other end of the bar. BARTENDER (CONT’D) (under his breath) Fucking intellectuals KUHN (to Feyerabend) Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear your comment and I would beg to differ. The roots of scientific understandings are in part due to "paradigms" within the scientific community. These paradigms, as I call them, are a set of beliefs and agreements about how problems are to be understood. Paradigms are essential for the scientific community because they help to; create avenues of inquiry, formulate questions, select methods with which to examine questions, define areas of relevance and establish meaning. In the absence of a paradigm we would be lost in all the facts that could possibly pertain to the development of a given science as they would all seem equally relevant. FEYERABEND (Somewhat agitated, but clearly wanting to maintain a sense of control and mastery) The result of blindly following a paradigm would be nothing less than the stifling of the creative mind and the limiting of the scientific process for science is anarchistic and theoretical anarchism is more humanitarian and more likely to encourage progress. (MORE)
3. FEYERABEND (CONT'D) Imagine if Copernicus were to have followed the paradigms set before him‌ He would never have brought about the scientific revolution. In fact, it is Copernicus' blatant contempt for the scientific norms that lead to his use of ad-hoc hypotheses and with this he was able to bring about said scientific revolution.
KUHN (sheepishly) Actually, when Copernicus initially put forth his scientific thoughts he was outright rejected by his contemporaries and rightfully so as his method lacked credibility. It is only when Galileo introduced his own ideas did a paradigm shift and the Copernican revolution occur. As such, the true advancement of science occurs with "paradigm shifts". What this means is a transition from one paradigm to another. The way this occurs is with long periods of tradition-bound science and only once these preestablished paradigms are fully explored and exhausted can they be broken and a new paradigm take their place. These new paradigms, however, cannot build on the existing ones and thus, they must supplant them. FEYERABEND (looking a bit frantic, his eyes flash and his lips turn down in a dismissive scowl) The best way to advance science and scientific thought is with hypotheses contradicting what you call paradigms. The consistency condition that states that new hypothesis agree with accepted theories makes no sense because the older, more established school of thought will always come up on top in this situation. The method you put forward is only for those who favor a certain ideology and have already dedicated themselves to the notion that these so called "paradigms" are not open to interpretation and are the be-all, endall of scientific thought. (MORE)
4. FEYERABEND (CONT'D) This view lends one to believe that scientists are not independent thinkers but mere calculators of a pre-established set of rules and practices.
Feyerabend gets off his stool and approaches Kuhn. With a menacing thump, he pounds his fist on the bar. Kuhn stumbles to his feet and attempts to put enough distance between himself and this “Enemy of Science” KUHN You sir, are an idealist fool. Scientists are in fact pedantic creatures who are incapable, and if not incapable then certainly unwilling, of objective thought. They merely put into practice what they have been taught. This is what makes Paradigms so essential in scientific research, without them the researchers would be lost and their findings would be an incomprehensible hodgepodge. If one were to put your theories into practice the divergence of theories and methods would be as such that no sense could be made of any scientific conclusions reached within that "framework" (Kuhn makes inverted commas with his fingers as he says framework) FEYERABEND (enraged and insulted) Don't you air quote ME you sonofabitch, I'll slap your glasses off that smug looking face of yours... (Kuhn has heard enough...) Kuhn charges at Feyerabend with his arms outstretched KUHN Screw you and your anarchist theories. Incommensurable piece of shit. Feyerabend breaks a beer bottle in front of him and stabs Kuhn in the neck repeatedly... KUHN (CONT’D) (with his neck slashed, all Kuhn can manage is a laboured moan) Arrghhh....grhhhhhh
5.
Blood spews from the Kuhn’s carotid artery cut by Feyerabend with jagged broken beer bottle. FEYERABEND Stick that in your paradigm and shift it.... BYSTANDER MY GOD! SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE! FEYERABEND ...you impotent revolutionary “wanna be”. Feyerabend, with the bloodied and blunted edge of the bottle firmly in hand, he cocks his arm back to deliver the “coup de grace” to Kuhn, who is now quivering and trying to shield himself (a thunderous BANG resounds through the bar) The bartender steps out from behind the bar, lowering his sawed off shotgun to his side as Feyerabend slips to the floor dying. BARTENDER Fucking intellectuals, now who's gonna clean up this mess? KUHN (smugly) Anything goes, eh? Do you want fries with that intellectual hash, Professor Feyerabend? FADE TO BLACK.