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Open Society and Its Enemies: A Deep Dive into the Ideologies that Threaten Freedom
The concept of an "open society," characterized by freedom of expression, individual rights, and democratic participation, is under constant threat. This post delves into the historical and contemporary enemies of open societies, examining the ideologies and strategies used to undermine them. We'll explore the diverse forms these threats take, from overt authoritarianism to subtle forms of manipulation, offering a nuanced understanding of the challenges facing open societies today and strategies for their defense.
H2: Defining an Open Society: Core Principles and Ideals
Before identifying its enemies, we must first define what constitutes an open society. Karl Popper, whose seminal work The Open Society and Its Enemies significantly shaped the discourse, characterized it by several key features:
Individual Liberty: The paramount importance of individual rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech, assembly, and religion.
Rule of Law: A system of governance where everyone, including those in power, is subject to and accountable under the law.
Democratic Participation: Active citizen engagement in the political process through free and fair elections, and robust civil society organizations.
Tolerance of Dissent: Acceptance of diverse viewpoints and the ability to engage in constructive debate, even with those holding opposing opinions.
Critical Thinking and Reason: Emphasis on evidence-based decision-making and a rejection of dogma and blind faith.
H3: The Erosion of Trust: A Subtle Enemy
One of the most insidious enemies of an open society is the erosion of trust. This isn't a physical attack, but a slow, insidious chipping away at the foundations of social cohesion. The spread of misinformation and disinformation, often amplified by social media, creates a climate of distrust in institutions, experts, and even factual reality. This fertile ground allows extremist ideologies to flourish and can lead to societal polarization, hindering constructive dialogue and democratic processes.
H2: Historical Enemies of Open Society: From Plato to Totalitarianism
The concept of an open society has faced numerous historical challenges. Popper himself identified Plato and Hegel as significant intellectual enemies, arguing their philosophies paved the way for totalitarian regimes.
H3: Plato's Ideal State: A Blueprint for Authoritarianism?
Popper criticized Plato's vision of an ideal state, arguing its inherent elitism and emphasis on philosopher-kings undermined individual liberty. This hierarchical structure, with its emphasis on social engineering and suppression of dissent, provided a blueprint for later authoritarian systems.
H3: Hegelian Dialectics and the Justification of Power
Hegel's dialectical method, while intellectually stimulating, was criticized for its potential to justify the existing power structure. The idea of a historical progression towards a predetermined end could be manipulated to legitimize authoritarian rule, framing any resistance as an obstacle to historical inevitability.
H3: The Rise of 20th Century Totalitarianism: Fascism and Communism
The 20th century witnessed the horrifying reality of totalitarian regimes in the form of Fascism and Communism. Both ideologies, despite their contrasting approaches, actively suppressed individual freedoms, eliminated opposition, and prioritized the state over the individual. Their legacy continues to serve as a stark warning of the dangers facing open societies.
H2: Contemporary Threats to Open Society: Populism, Nationalism, and Disinformation
The enemies of open society are not relics of the past; they manifest in new and evolving forms today.
H3: The Rise of Populism and Nationalism
Populist and nationalist movements often exploit social divisions, fueling resentment towards elites and immigrants. They frequently employ rhetoric that undermines democratic norms and institutions, promoting a simplistic worldview that often excludes dissent and critical thinking.
H3: The Weaponization of Disinformation and Propaganda
The internet and social media have become potent tools for spreading disinformation and propaganda, eroding trust in established sources of information and manipulating public opinion. This deliberate dissemination of false narratives can be used to undermine democratic processes and destabilize societies.
H3: Authoritarianism's Global Resurgence
We are witnessing a global resurgence of authoritarian tendencies, with various governments eroding democratic institutions and curtailing fundamental rights. This often involves restrictions on freedom of speech, suppression of dissent, and the undermining of the rule of law.
H2: Defending Open Society: Strategies for Resilience
The preservation of open societies requires constant vigilance and proactive measures.
H3: Promoting Media Literacy and Critical Thinking
Equipping citizens with the skills to critically evaluate information and identify misinformation is crucial. Education plays a vital role in fostering media literacy and promoting critical thinking skills.
H3: Strengthening Democratic Institutions
Investing in strong, independent institutions, including a free press, an impartial judiciary, and robust civil society organizations, is vital for safeguarding democratic principles.
H3: Fostering Global Cooperation
Addressing the challenges facing open societies requires international cooperation. Collaboration between nations is essential to combatting disinformation, promoting human rights, and supporting democratic movements.
Conclusion
The struggle for an open society is an ongoing process, requiring constant vigilance and proactive engagement. Understanding the historical and contemporary enemies of open societies, along with implementing strategies for their defense, is crucial for preserving the values of freedom, individual rights, and democratic participation for future generations.
FAQs
1. Is it possible to completely eliminate the threats to open society? No, threats to open society are likely always to exist in some form. The goal is to mitigate and manage these threats effectively.
2. How can individuals contribute to the defense of an open society? Individuals can contribute by actively engaging in civic life, promoting critical thinking, fighting disinformation, and supporting democratic institutions.
3. What role does education play in protecting open societies? Education is crucial in fostering critical thinking skills, media literacy, and an understanding of democratic values.
4. Are there any inherent contradictions within the concept of an open society? Yes, balancing individual freedoms with the needs of society as a whole presents ongoing challenges. Finding this balance requires ongoing dialogue and compromise.
5. How can we address the spread of disinformation online? Combating disinformation requires a multi-pronged approach including media literacy education, platform accountability, fact-checking initiatives, and legislation to address malicious actors.
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Enemies Karl Popper, 2012-11-12 Popper is one of the twentieth century's towering and influential philosophical and intellectual figures, widely read today This marks the first time The Open Society and Its Enemies has been published in a single paperback volume (hardback version was published for the Popper Centenary in 2002) Features a preface by Vaclav Havel and a 'personal recollection' on the story behind the book's publication by Ernst GombrichThe Open Society is one of the twentieth century's most important books, both in its impact on European intellectual and political life and in its sales |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Enemies Karl R. Popper, 2020-09-15 A landmark defense of democracy that has been hailed as one of the most important books of the twentieth century One of the most important books of the twentieth century, The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. An immediate sensation when it was first published, Karl Popper’s monumental achievement has attained legendary status on both the Left and Right. Tracing the roots of an authoritarian tradition represented by Plato, Marx, and Hegel, Popper argues that the spirit of free, critical inquiry that governs scientific investigation should also apply to politics. In a new foreword, George Soros, who was a student of Popper, describes the “revelation” of first reading the book and how it helped inspire his philanthropic Open Society Foundations. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Enemies Karl Raimund Popper, 2011 Written in political exile during the Second World War, The Open Society and its Enemies prophesied the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and exposed the fatal flaws of socially engineered political systems. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Enemies: The spell of Plato Karl Raimund Popper, 2003 Written in political exile during the Second World War and first published in 1945, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemiesis one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. Hailed by Bertrand Russell as a 'vigorous and profound defence of democracy', its now legendary attack on the philosophies of Plato, Hegel and Marx exposed the dangers inherent in centrally planned political systems. Popper's highly accessible style, his erudite and lucid explanations of the thought of great philosophers and the recent resurgence of totalitarian regimes around the world are just three of the reasons for the enduring popularity ofThe Open Society and Its Enemies, and for why it demands to be read both today and in years to come. This is the first of two volumes of The Open Society and Its Enemies. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Enemies Karl R. Popper, 2013-04-21 One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. Popper was born in 1902 to a Viennese family of Jewish origin. He taught in Austria until 1937, when he emigrated to New Zealand in anticipation of the Nazi annexation of Austria the following year, and he settled in England in 1949. Before the annexation, Popper had written mainly about the philosophy of science, but from 1938 until the end of the Second World War he focused his energies on political philosophy, seeking to diagnose the intellectual origins of German and Soviet totalitarianism. The Open Society and Its Enemies was the result. An immediate sensation when it was first published in two volumes in 1945, Popper's monumental achievement has attained legendary status on both the Left and Right and is credited with inspiring anticommunist dissidents during the Cold War. Arguing that the spirit of free, critical inquiry that governs scientific investigation should also apply to politics, Popper traces the roots of an opposite, authoritarian tendency to a tradition represented by Plato, Marx, and Hegel. In a substantial new introduction written for this edition, acclaimed political philosopher Alan Ryan puts Popper's landmark work in biographical, intellectual, and historical context. Also included is a personal essay by eminent art historian E. H. Gombrich, in which he recounts the story of the book's eventual publication despite numerous rejections and wartime deprivations. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and its Enemies Karl Popper, 2005-07-26 Written in political exile during the Second World War and first published in 1945, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies is one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. Hailed by Bertrand Russell as a 'vigorous and profound defence of democracy', its now legendary attack on the philosophies of Plato, Hegel and Marx exposed the dangers inherent in centrally planned political systems. Popper's highly accessible style, his erudite and lucid explanations of the thought of great philosophers and the recent resurgence of totalitarian regimes around the world are just three of the reasons for the enduring popularity of The Open Society and Its Enemies, and for why it demands to be read both today and in years to come. This is the second of two volumes of The Open Society and Its Enemies. |
| open society and its enemies: The 100 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time Robert McCrum, 2018 Beginning in 1611 with the King James Bible and ending in 2014 with Elizabeth Kolbert's 'The Sixth Extinction', this extraordinary voyage through the written treasures of our culture examines universally-acclaimed classics such as Pepys' 'Diaries', Charles Darwin's 'The Origin of Species', Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time' and a whole host of additional works -- |
| open society and its enemies: Unended Quest Karl Popper, 2005-09-29 At the age of eight, Karl Popper was puzzling over the idea of infinity and by fifteen was beginning to take a keen interest in his father's well-stocked library of books. Unended Quest recounts these moments and many others in the life of one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century, providing an indispensable account of the ideas that influenced him most. As an introduction to Popper's philosophy, Unended Quest also shines. Popper lucidly explains the central ideas in his work, making this book ideal for anyone coming to Popper's life and work for the first time. |
| open society and its enemies: The Poverty of Historicism Karl Popper, 2013-09-05 On its publication in 1957, The Poverty of Historicism was hailed by Arthur Koestler as 'probably the only book published this year which will outlive the century.' A devastating criticism of fixed and predictable laws in history, Popper dedicated the book to all those 'who fell victim to the fascist and communist belief in Inexorable Laws of Historical Destiny.' Short and beautifully written, it has inspired generations of readers, intellectuals and policy makers. One of the most important books on the social sciences since the Second World War, it is a searing insight into the ideas of this great thinker. |
| open society and its enemies: In Defense of Open Society George Soros, 2019-10-22 An impassioned defense of open society, academic and media freedom, and human rights. George Soros -- universally known for his philanthropy, progressive politics, and investment success--has been under sustained attack from the far right, nationalists, and anti-Semites in the United States and around the world because of his commitment to open society and liberal democracy. In this brilliant and spirited book, Soros brings together a vital collection of his writings, some never previously published. They deal with a wide range of important and timely topics: the dangers that the instruments of control produced by artificial intelligence and machine learning pose to open societies; what Soros calls his political philanthropy; his founding of the Central European University, one of the world's foremost defender of academic freedom; his philosophy; his boom/bust theory of financial markets and its policy implications; and what he calls the tragedy of the European Union. Soros's forceful affirmation of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, social justice, and social responsibility as a universal idea is a clarion call-to-arms for the ideals of open society. |
| open society and its enemies: Popper's Open Society After Fifty Years Ian Jarvie, Sandra Pralong, 2005-08-12 Popper's Open Society After Fifty Years presents a coherent survey of the reception and influence of Karl Popper's masterpiece The Open Society and its Enemies over the fifty years since its publication in 1945, as well as applying some of its principles to the context of modern Eastern Europe. This unique volume contains papers by many of Popper's contemporaries and friends, including such luminaries as Ernst Gombrich, in his paper 'The Open Society and its Enemies: Remembering its Publication Fifty Years Ago'. |
| open society and its enemies: Open Society and Its Enemies. Volume 2 Karl Raimund Popper, 1966 Popper was born in 1902 to a Viennese family of Jewish origin. He taught in Austria until 1937, when he emigrated to New Zealand in anticipation of the Nazi annexation of Austria the following year, and he settled in England in 1949. Before the annexation, Popper had written mainly about the philosophy of science, but from 1938 until the end of the Second World War he focused his energies on political philosophy, seeking to diagnose the intellectual origins of German and Soviet totalitarianism. The Open Society and Its Enemies was the result. In the book, Popper condemned Plato, Marx, and Hegel as holists and historicists--a holist, according to Popper, believes that individuals are formed entirely by their social groups; historicists believe that social groups evolve according to internal principles that it is the intellectual's task to uncover. Popper, by contrast, held that social affairs are unpredictable, and argued vehemently against social engineering. He also sought to shift the focus of political philosophy away from questions about who ought to rule toward questions about how to minimize the damage done by the powerful. The book was an immediate sensation, and--though it has long been criticized for its portrayals of Plato, Marx, and Hegel--it has remained a landmark on the left and right alike for its defense of freedom and the spirit of critical inquiry. |
| open society and its enemies: The Logic of Scientific Discovery Karl Popper, 2005-11-04 Described by the philosopher A.J. Ayer as a work of 'great originality and power', this book revolutionized contemporary thinking on science and knowledge. Ideas such as the now legendary doctrine of 'falsificationism' electrified the scientific community, influencing even working scientists, as well as post-war philosophy. This astonishing work ranks alongside The Open Society and Its Enemies as one of Popper's most enduring books and contains insights and arguments that demand to be read to this day. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Enemies Karl Raimund Popper, 2003 Written in political exile during the Second World War and first published in 1945, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemiesis one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. Hailed by Bertrand Russell as a 'vigorous and profound defence of democracy', its now legendary attack on the philosophies of Plato, Hegel and Marx exposed the dangers inherent in centrally planned political systems. Popper's highly accessible style, his erudite and lucid explanations of the thought of great philosophers and the recent resurgence of totalitarian regimes around the world are just three of the reasons for the enduring popularity of The Open Society and Its Enemies, and for why it demands to be read both today and in years to come. This is the second of two volumes of The Open Society and Its Enemies. |
| open society and its enemies: The Future and Its Enemies Virginia Postrel, 2011-05-10 Today we have greater wealth, health, opportunity, and choice than at any time in history. Yet a chorus of intellectuals and politicians laments our current condition -- as slaves to technology, coarsened by popular culture, and insecure in the face of economic change. The future, they tell us, is dangerously out of control, and unless we precisely govern the forces of change, we risk disaster. In The Future and Its Enemies, Virginia Postrel explodes the myths behind these claims. Using examples that range from medicine to fashion, she explores how progress truly occurs and demonstrates that human betterment depends not on conformity to one central vision but on creativity and decentralized, open-ended trial and error. She argues that these two opposing world-views -- stasis vs. dynamism -- are replacing left and right to define our cultural and political debate as we enter the next century. In this bold exploration of how civilizations learn, Postrel heralds a fundamental shift in the way we view politics, culture, technology, and society as we face an unknown -- and invigorating -- future. |
| open society and its enemies: The Two Fundamental Problems of the Theory of Knowledge Karl Popper, 2014-05-01 In a letter of 1932, Karl Popper described Die beiden Grundprobleme der Erkenntnistheorie – The Two Fundamental Problems of the Theory of Knowledge – as ‘...a child of crises, above all of ...the crisis of physics.’ Finally available in English, it is a major contribution to the philosophy of science, epistemology and twentieth century philosophy generally. The two fundamental problems of knowledge that lie at the centre of the book are the problem of induction, that although we are able to observe only a limited number of particular events, science nevertheless advances unrestricted universal statements; and the problem of demarcation, which asks for a separating line between empirical science and non-science. Popper seeks to solve these two basic problems with his celebrated theory of falsifiability, arguing that the inferences made in science are not inductive but deductive; science does not start with observations and proceed to generalise them but with problems, which it attacks with bold conjectures. The Two Fundamental Problems of the Theory of Knowledge is essential reading for anyone interested in Karl Popper, in the history and philosophy of science, and in the methods and theories of science itself. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Philosophy and the Open Society Maurice Cornforth, 1968 |
| open society and its enemies: All Life is Problem Solving Karl Popper, 2013-04-15 'Never before has there been so many and such dreadful weapons in so many irresponsible hands.' - Karl Popper, from the Preface All Life is Problem Solving is a stimulating and provocative selection of Popper's writings on his main preoccupations during the last twenty-five years of his life. This collection illuminates Popper's process of working out key formulations in his theory of science, and indicates his view of the state of the world at the end of the Cold War and after the collapse of communism. |
| open society and its enemies: The Pivotal Generation Henry Shue, 2022-01-11 We all recognize that climate change is a supremely important issue of our time, which requires both trans-national and trans-generational collaboration and shared responsibility. What we haven't yet fully appreciated, argues political philosopher Henry Shue, are the ethical considerations surrounding the fact that the next one or two decades will determine whether climate change, which already has led us to dangerous effects, will surge into inescapably disastrous effects. The people alive today thus represent a pivotal generation in human history. For the past two centuries humans have undermined our climate at an increasing rate, in ways that the present generations are the first to fully understand, and the last to be able to reverse. But our responsibility for decisive and immediate action rests on three special features of the relation of our present to the future, that many have failed to realize (1) future generations face dangers greater than ours even if we act robustly, (2) the worsening dangers for future generations are currently without limit, and (3) a less robust effort by us is likely to allow climate change to pass critical tipping points for severely worse and potentially unavoidable future dangers. Shue, a renowned scholar of ethics, politics and international relations who has been studying the ethics of climate change for the last two decades, guides us through what our ethical responsibilities to others are, both across the world but especially over time, and what those commitments require us to do in addressing the climate change crisis, now and forcefully-- |
| open society and its enemies: Islamism and Its Enemies in the Horn of Africa Alex De Waal, 2004 Militant Islam is a powerful force in the Horn of Africa, and the U.S. war on terrorism has thrown the region and its politics into the international spotlight. Since the 1990s, when a failed U.S. military mission was called in to maintain order, Islamist organizations, with heavy sponsorship from Saudi Arabia, have multiplied and established much-needed health and education services in the region. However, despite the good that they are clearly providing, these organizations are labeled terrorist by the U.S. Islamist extremists have been found to be responsible for the deadly embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and the attack on an Israeli jet in Mombasa. Since September 11, 2001, global effort has been concentrated on bringing these groups to their knees. Focusing on how Islamist movements have been viewed post-9/11 and how the U.S. agenda is being translated into local struggles in the region, this book is an important step toward understanding the complex dynamics that enfold the region. Contributors are Roland Marchal, A. H. Abdel Salam, M. A. Mohamed Salih, and Alex de Waal. |
| open society and its enemies: Innovation and Its Enemies Calestous Juma, 2016-06-06 It is a curious situation that technologies we now take for granted have, when first introduced, so often stoked public controversy and concern for public welfare. At the root of this tension is the perception that the benefits of new technologies will accrue only to small sections of society, while the risks will be more widely distributed. Drawing from nearly 600 years of technology history, Calestous Juma identifies the tension between the need for innovation and the pressure to maintain continuity, social order, and stability as one of today's biggest policy challenges. He reveals the extent to which modern technological controversies grow out of distrust in public and private institutions and shows how new technologies emerge, take root, and create new institutional ecologies that favor their establishment in the marketplace. Innovation and Its Enemies calls upon public leaders to work with scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to manage technological change and expand public engagement on scientific and technological matters. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Complexities Gerald Gaus, 2021-08-06 A mere two decades ago it was widely assumed that liberal democracy and the Open Society it created had decisively won their century-long struggle against authoritarianism. Although subsequent events have shocked many, F.A. Hayek would not have been surprised that we are in many ways disoriented by the society we have created. As he understood it, the Open Society was a precarious achievement in many ways at odds with our deepest moral sentiments. His path-breaking analyses argued that the Open Society runs against our evolved attraction to tribalism that the Open Society is too complex for moral justification; and that its self-organized complexity defies attempts at democratic governance. In his final, wide-ranging book, Gerald Gaus critically reexamines Hayek's analyses. Drawing on diverse work in social and moral science, Gaus argues that Hayek's program was manifestly prescient and strikingly sophisticated, always identifying real and pressing problems. Yet, Gaus maintains, Hayek underestimated the resources of human morality and the Open Society to cope with the challenges he perceived. Gaus marshals formal models and empirical evidence to show that our Open Society is grounded on moral foundations of human cooperation originating in our distant evolutionary past, but has built upon them a complex and diverse society that requires us to rethink both the nature of moral justification and the meaning of democratic self-governance. In these fearful, angry and inwardly-looking times, when political philosophy has itself become a hostile exchange between ideological camps, The Open Society and Its Complexities shows how moral and ideological diversity, so far from being the enemy of a free and open society, can be its foundation. |
| open society and its enemies: Karl Popper, Science and Enlightenment Nicholas Maxwell, 2017-09-26 Here is an idea that just might save the world. It is that science, properly understood, provides us with the methodological key to the salvation of humanity. A version of this idea can be found in the works of Karl Popper. Famously, Popper argued that science cannot verify theories but can only refute them, and this is how science makes progress. Scientists are forced to think up something better, and it is this, according to Popper, that drives science forward.But Nicholas Maxwell finds a flaw in this line of argument. Physicists only ever accept theories that are unified – theories that depict the same laws applying to the range of phenomena to which the theory applies – even though many other empirically more successful disunified theories are always available. This means that science makes a questionable assumption about the universe, namely that all disunified theories are false. Without some such presupposition as this, the whole empirical method of science breaks down.By proposing a new conception of scientific methodology, which can be applied to all worthwhile human endeavours with problematic aims, Maxwell argues for a revolution in academic inquiry to help humanity make progress towards a better, more civilized and enlightened world. |
| open society and its enemies: Leo Strauss Robert Howse, 2014-09-08 This book analyzes Leo Strauss's writings on political violence, considering also what he taught in the classroom on this subject. |
| open society and its enemies: Omnipotent Government Ludwig Von Mises, 2011-03-23 Liberty is not, as the German precursors of Nazism asserted, a negative ideal. Whether a concept is presented in an affirmative or in a negative form is merely a question of idiom. Freedom from want is tantamount to the expression striving after a state of affairs under which people are better supplied with necessities. Freedom of speech is tantamount to a state of affairs under which everybody can say what he wants to say. At the bottom of all totalitarian doctrines lies the belief that the rulers are wiser and loftier than their subjects and that they therefore know better what benefits those ruled than they themselves. Werner Sombart, for many years a fanatical champion of Marxism and later a no less fanatical advocate of Nazism, was bold enough to assert frankly that the Führer gets his orders from God, the supreme Führer of the universe, and that Führertum is a permanent revelation.* Whoever admits this, must, of course, stop questioning the expediency of government omnipotence. Those disagreeing with this theocratical justification of dictatorship claim for themselves the right to discuss freely the problems involved. They do not write state with a capital S. They do not shrink from analyzing the metaphysical notions of Hegelianism and Marxism. They reduce all this high-sounding oratory to the simple question: are the means suggested suitable to attain the ends sought? In answering this question, they hope to render a service to the great majority of their fellow men. |
| open society and its enemies: Rethinking Open Society Michael Ignatieff, Stefan Roch, 2018-06-10 The key values of the Open Society – freedom, justice, tolerance, democracy, and respect for knowledge – are increasingly under threat in today’s world. As an effort to uphold those values, this volume brings together some of the key political, social and economic thinkers of our time to re-examine the Open Society closely in terms of its history, its achievements and failures, and its future prospects. Based on the lecture series Rethinking Open Society, which took place between 2017 and 2018 at the Central European University, the volume is deeply embedded in the history and purpose of CEU, its Open Society mission, and its belief in educating skeptical, but passionate citizens. |
| open society and its enemies: Critical Approaches to Science and Philosophy Mario Bunge, This collection of essays, written on four continents by scientists, philosophers and humanists, was initially presented to Karl R. Popper on his sixtieth birthday as a token of critical admiration and in recognition of his work. But the volume also stands on its own as a remarkable series of statements utilizing Popper's critical vision in the study of philosophy proper, logic, mathematics, science as method and theory, and finally to the study of society and history. What is remarkable is that Popper worked in all of these areas, not in a cursory or discursive way, but with the utmost clarity and rigor. . The core position of this volume and its contributors is that the progress of knowledge is not a linear accumulation of definitive acquisitions but a zigzagging process in which counterexamples and unfavorable evidence ruin generalizations and prompt the invention of more comprehensive and sometimes deeper generalizations, to be criticized in their turn. A critical approach to problems, procedures, and results in every field of inquiry is therefore a necessary condition for the continuance of progress. The title of this volume then is, in a sense, an homage to Popper's critical rationalism and critical empiricism. The essays are a tribute to his unceasing and uncompromising quest, not for final certainty, but for closer truth and increased clarity. Among the contributors are outstanding figures in philosophy and the exact sciences in their own right, including Herbert Feigl, R. M. Hare, J.O. Wisdom, Nicholas Rescher, David Bohm, Paul K. Feyerabend, F. A. Hayek, and Adolf Grunbaum. Social science contributions include Hans Albert on social science and moral philosophy, W. B. Gallie, on the critical philosophy of history, Pieter Geyl on The Open Society and its Enemies, and George H. Nadel on the philosophy of History. |
| open society and its enemies: The Universal Adversary Mark Neocleous, 2016-02-12 The history of bourgeois modernity is a history of the Enemy. This book is a radical exploration of an Enemy that has recently emerged from within security documents released by the US security state: the Universal Adversary. The Universal Adversary is now central to emergency planning in general and, more specifically, to security preparations for future attacks. But an attack from who, or what? This book – the first to appear on the topic – shows how the concept of the Universal Adversary draws on several key figures in the history of ideas, said to pose a threat to state power and capital accumulation. Within the Universal Adversary there lies the problem not just of the ‘terrorist’ but, more generally, of the ‘subversive’, and what the emergency planning documents refer to as the ‘disgruntled worker’. This reference reveals the conjoined power of the contemporary mobilisation of security and the defence of capital. But it also reveals much more. Taking the figure of the disgruntled worker as its starting point, the book introduces some of this worker’s close cousins – figures often regarded not simply as a threat to security and capital but as nothing less than the Enemy of all Mankind: the Zombie, the Devil and the Pirate. In situating these figures of enmity within debates about security and capital, the book engages an extraordinary variety of issues that now comprise a contemporary politics of security. From crowd control to contagion, from the witch-hunt to the apocalypse, from pigs to intellectual property, this book provides a compelling analysis of the ways in which security and capital are organized against nothing less than the ‘Enemies of all Mankind’. |
| open society and its enemies: Utopia Thomas More, 2019-04-08 Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More published in 1516 in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries. |
| open society and its enemies: The Open Society and Its Friends Rocco Pezzimenti, 1997 |
| open society and its enemies: Closing of the American Mind Allan Bloom, 2008-06-30 The brilliant, controversial, bestselling critique of American culture that “hits with the approximate force and effect of electroshock therapy” (The New York Times)—now featuring a new afterword by Andrew Ferguson in a twenty-fifth anniversary edition. In 1987, eminent political philosopher Allan Bloom published The Closing of the American Mind, an appraisal of contemporary America that “hits with the approximate force and effect of electroshock therapy” (The New York Times) and has not only been vindicated, but has also become more urgent today. In clear, spirited prose, Bloom argues that the social and political crises of contemporary America are part of a larger intellectual crisis: the result of a dangerous narrowing of curiosity and exploration by the university elites. Now, in this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, acclaimed author and journalist Andrew Ferguson contributes a new essay that describes why Bloom’s argument caused such a furor at publication and why our culture so deeply resists its truths today. |
| open society and its enemies: Rational Changes in Science Joseph C. Pitt, Marcello Pera, 2012-12-06 THE PROBLEMS OF SCIENTIFIC RATIONALITY Fashion is a fickle mistress. Only yesterday scientific rationality enjoyed considerable attention, consideration, and even reverence among phi losophers; but today's fashion leads us to despise it, and the matron, rejected and abandoned as Hecuba, complains; modo maxima rerum, tot generis natisque potens - nunc trahor exui, inops, to cite Kant for our purpose, who cited Ovid for his. Like every fashion, ours also has its paradoxical aspects, as John Watkins correctly reminds in an essay in this volume. Enthusiasm for science was high among philosophers when significant scientific results were mostly a promise, it declined when that promise became an undeniable reality. Nevertheless, as with the decline of any fashion, even the revolt against scientific rationality has some reasonable grounds. If the taste of the philosophical community has changed so much, it is not due to an incident or a whim. This volume is not about the history of and reasons for this change. Instead, it provides a view of the new emerging image of scientific rationality in both its philosophical and historical aspects. In particular, the aim of the contributions gathered here is to focus on the concept around which the discussions about rationality have mostly taken place: scientific change. |
| open society and its enemies: After The Open Society Karl Popper, 2014-05-01 In this long-awaited volume, Jeremy Shearmur and Piers Norris Turner bring to light Popper's most important unpublished and uncollected writings from the time of The Open Society until his death in 1994. After The Open Society: Selected Social and Political Writings reveals the development of Popper's political and philosophical thought during and after the Second World War, from his early socialism through to the radical humanitarianism of The Open Society. The papers in this collection, many of which are available here for the first time, demonstrate the clarity and pertinence of Popper's thinking on such topics as religion, history, Plato and Aristotle, while revealing a lifetime of unwavering political commitment. After The Open Society illuminates the thought of one of the twentieth century's greatest philosophers and is essential reading for anyone interested in the recent course of philosophy, politics, history and society. |
| open society and its enemies: Society Of The Spectacle Guy Debord, 2012-10-01 The Das Kapital of the 20th century,Society of the Spectacle is an essential text, and the main theoretical work of the Situationists. Few works of political and cultural theory have been as enduringly provocative. From its publication amid the social upheavals of the 1960's, in particular the May 1968 uprisings in France, up to the present day, with global capitalism seemingly staggering around in it’s Zombie end-phase, the volatile theses of this book have decisively transformed debates on the shape of modernity, capitalism, and everyday life in the late 20th century. This ‘Red and Black’ translation from 1977 is Introduced by Notting Hill armchair insurrectionary Tom Vague with a galloping time line and pop-situ verve, and given a more analytical over view by young upstart thinker Sam Cooper. |
| open society and its enemies: Open Democracy Hélène Landemore, 2022-03-08 To the ancient Greeks, democracy meant gathering in public and debating laws set by a randomly selected assembly of several hundred citizens. To the Icelandic Vikings, democracy meant meeting every summer in a field to discuss issues until consensus was reached. Our contemporary representative democracies are very different. Modern parliaments are gated and guarded, and it seems as if only certain people are welcome. Diagnosing what is wrong with representative government and aiming to recover some of the openness of ancient democracies, Open Democracy presents a new paradigm of democracy. Supporting a fresh nonelectoral understanding of democratic representation, Hélène Landemore demonstrates that placing ordinary citizens, rather than elites, at the heart of democratic power is not only the true meaning of a government of, by, and for the people, but also feasible and, more than ever, urgently needed. -- Cover page 4. |
| open society and its enemies: The Future and Its Enemies Daniel Innerarity, 2012-07-25 Humans may be the only creatures conscious of having a future, but all too often we would rather not think about it. Likewise, our societies, unable to deal with radical uncertainty, do not make policies with a view to the long term. Instead, we suffer from a sense of powerlessness, collective irrationality, and perennial political discontent. In The Future and Its Enemies, Spanish philosopher Daniel Innerarity makes a plea for a new social contract that would commit us to moral and political responsibility with respect to future generations. He urges us to become advocates for the future in the face of enemies who, oblivious to the costs of modernization, press for endless and unproductive acceleration. His accessible book proposes a new way of confronting the unknown—one grounded in the calculation of risk. Declaring the classical right-left divide to be redundant, Innerarity presents his hopes for a renewed democracy and a politics that would find convincing ways to mediate between the priorities of the present, the heritage of the past, and the challenges that lie ahead. |
| open society and its enemies: Advanced Macroeconomics Filipe R. Campante, Federico Sturzenegger, Andrés Velasco, 2021-10-11 Macroeconomic policy is one of the most important policy domains, and the tools of macroeconomics are among the most valuable for policy makers. Yet there has been, up to now, a wide gulf between the level at which macroeconomics is taught at the undergraduate level and the level at which it is practiced. At the same time, doctoral-level textbooks are usually not targeted at a policy audience, making advanced macroeconomics less accessible to current and aspiring practitioners. This book, born out of the Masters course the authors taught for many years at the Harvard Kennedy School, fills this gap. It introduces the tools of dynamic optimization in the context of economic growth, and then applies them to a wide range of policy questions – ranging from pensions, consumption, investment and finance, to the most recent developments in fiscal and monetary policy. It does so with the requisite rigor, but also with a light touch, and an unyielding focus on their application to policy-making, as befits the authors’ own practical experience. Advanced Macroeconomics: An Easy Guide is bound to become a great resource for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, and practitioners alike. |
| open society and its enemies: Nineteen eighty-four George Orwell, 2022-11-22 This is a dystopian social science fiction novel and morality tale. The novel is set in the year 1984, a fictional future in which most of the world has been destroyed by unending war, constant government monitoring, historical revisionism, and propaganda. The totalitarian superstate Oceania, ruled by the Party and known as Airstrip One, now includes Great Britain as a province. The Party uses the Thought Police to repress individuality and critical thought. Big Brother, the tyrannical ruler of Oceania, enjoys a strong personality cult that was created by the party's overzealous brainwashing methods. Winston Smith, the main character, is a hard-working and skilled member of the Ministry of Truth's Outer Party who secretly despises the Party and harbors rebellious fantasies. |
| open society and its enemies: The Politics Aristotle, 1981-09-17 Twenty-three centuries after its compilation, 'The Politics' still has much to contribute to this central question of political science. Aristotle's thorough and carefully argued analysis is based on a study of over 150 city constitutions, covering a huge range of political issues in order to establish which types of constitution are best - both ideally and in particular circumstances - and how they may be maintained. Aristotle's opinions form an essential background to the thinking of philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas, Machiavelli and Jean Bodin and both his premises and arguments raise questions that are as relevant to modern society as they were to the ancient world. |
| open society and its enemies: Politics and Expertise Zeynep Pamuk, 2024-11-26 A new model for the relationship between science and democracy that spans policymaking, the funding and conduct of research, and our approach to new technologies Our ability to act on some of the most pressing issues of our time, from pandemics and climate change to artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons, depends on knowledge provided by scientists and other experts. Meanwhile, contemporary political life is increasingly characterized by problematic responses to expertise, with denials of science on the one hand and complaints about the ignorance of the citizenry on the other. Politics and Expertise offers a new model for the relationship between science and democracy, rooted in the ways in which scientific knowledge and the political context of its use are imperfect. Zeynep Pamuk starts from the fact that science is uncertain, incomplete, and contested, and shows how scientists’ judgments about what is significant and useful shape the agenda and framing of political decisions. The challenge, Pamuk argues, is to ensure that democracies can expose and contest the assumptions and omissions of scientists, instead of choosing between wholesale acceptance or rejection of expertise. To this end, she argues for institutions that support scientific dissent, proposes an adversarial “science court” to facilitate the public scrutiny of science, reimagines structures for funding scientific research, and provocatively suggests restricting research into dangerous new technologies. Through rigorous philosophical analysis and fascinating examples, Politics and Expertise moves the conversation beyond the dichotomy between technocracy and populism and develops a better answer for how to govern and use science democratically. |
The Open Society and Its Enemies - Wikipedia
The Open Society and Its Enemies is a work on political philosophy by the philosopher Karl Popper, in which the author presents a "defence of the open society against its enemies", [1] and offers a critique of theories of teleological historicism, according to which history unfolds inexorably according to universal laws.
The Open Society And Its Enemies : K_r_popper - Archive.org
Jan 19, 2017 · The Open Society And Its Enemies by K_r_popper. Publication date 1945 Topics RMSC Collection digitallibraryindia; JaiGyan Language English Item Size 1.2G
The Open Society and Its Enemies (Princeton Classics, 115)
Sep 15, 2020 · Fantastic book addressing how humans emerge from "the closed society" (one bound up with local traditions, taboos and metaphysics) to a more open society in which humans share experiences across tribal/political boundaries to get closer to the truth in both scientific enterprises and social and political theories and constructs - the crucial ...
The Open Society and Its Enemies: New One-Volume Edition
Apr 21, 2013 · One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of totalitarianism.
The Open Society and Its Enemies: New One-Volume ... - JSTOR
One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper'sThe Open Society and Its Enemiesis an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy an...
The Open Society and Its Enemies | Princeton University Press
One of the most important books of the twentieth century, The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of totalitarianism.
Amazon.com: The Open Society and Its Enemies (Princeton ...
Sep 15, 2020 · One of the most important books of the twentieth century, The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of totalitarianism.
The Open Society and Its Enemies - Wikipedia
The Open Society and Its Enemies is a work on political philosophy by the philosopher Karl Popper, in which the author presents a "defence of the open society against its enemies", [1] …
The Open Society And Its Enemies : K_r_popper - Archive.org
Jan 19, 2017 · The Open Society And Its Enemies by K_r_popper. Publication date 1945 Topics RMSC Collection digitallibraryindia; JaiGyan Language English Item Size 1.2G
The Open Society and Its Enemies (Princeton Classics, 115)
Sep 15, 2020 · Fantastic book addressing how humans emerge from "the closed society" (one bound up with local traditions, taboos and metaphysics) to a more open society in which …
The Open Society and Its Enemies: New One-Volume Edition
Apr 21, 2013 · One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful …
The Open Society and Its Enemies: New One-Volume ... - JSTOR
One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper'sThe Open Society and Its Enemiesis an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy an...
The Open Society and Its Enemies | Princeton University Press
One of the most important books of the twentieth century, The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual …
Amazon.com: The Open Society and Its Enemies (Princeton ...
Sep 15, 2020 · One of the most important books of the twentieth century, The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the …
