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... read full description
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Apr 28, 2011
Oscar
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While superficially a take on Plato's political programme this book does much more and constitutes a fundament for a rational political science. Not being a specialist on Plato's philosophy I can't say how much substance there are in the objections of philosophers against the central arguments of this book. His case is extremely well-argued though and it seems to me that the gist of it is spot-on. I have yet to see any convincing counter-arguments by historians of philosophy though their respons
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Nov 07, 2009
blake
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I'm still in some shock from the utter thrashing that Popper perpetrates upon Plato, maybe the most venerated philosopher in the history of the world. For that alone the book is exceedingly welcome, although I'm admittedly no expert on ancient Greek philosophy, so it's not prudent to accept everything Popper says on just his word. Indeed, one of the problems I had with the book is that, despite his various reminders that he means nothing personal, and that he still holds Plato in the highest e
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Apr 15, 2011
Gareth
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This is brilliant. It's a radical re-reading of Plato which argues that, in his authoritarian vision of the perfect state, he is the forerunner of totalitarianism oppression (Nazism, Stalinism) and the enemy of true political freedom. Perhaps the most unsettling claim, for philosophers anyway, is that Plato's use of the character of Socrates in his dialogues is a complete distortion of what the real Socrates stood for - the opposite, in fact. The book is well-argued, clear, and - apart from some
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Jul 31, 2010
David
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Popper introduced me to Classical thought with this book, an explication of and critique of Plato, and a defense of Socrates. Enlightening. Best of all, Popper was first and foremost a teacher, and this book fully reveals that in the easily graspable expression and reasoning by which he engages the non-specialist reader. This book addresses the arcane world of classical political thought and applies it decisively to what's in the headlines right now. If you like the feeling of having covered a l
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Dec 05, 2009
David
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Popper was perhaps unfashionable for loathing Plato, but I can see where he's coming from. Plato's Republic would have been a dehumanising hell on earth if ever it was instigated. But I feel Plato in his talking about the different classes of society being strictly controlled had in mind the warring factions of the psyche rather than an actual society, so he's off the hook as far as I am concerned. I liked his discussions of Hegel's historicism, however, and of the ways in which historicism with
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Dec 25, 2011
Marvin
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A brilliant continuation of Poppers theory of science into the political realm: political systems need to be corroborated just like scientific theories. Utopian ideals will probably never work as envisioned and trying to rebuild a society to fit them might do more harm than good. A better way is to find the worst flaw of the current system and fix that ... repeat until no flaws left.
Apart from proposing this simple and attractive program of developing our society, Popper paints an interest More...
Apart from proposing this simple and attractive program of developing our society, Popper paints an interest More...
Jan 15, 2010
Maria
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Popper begins 150 pages of endnotes with an apology for those books he was unable to consult due to wartime (WWII) conditions. This sense of humility and thoroughness pervades Poppers work. Any satisfying soundbites - 'what we want is to moralize politics and not to politicize morals' - are invariably preceded by pages of meticulous argument and textual reference. A careful avoidance of polemic and generalisation enhances Popper's case against hitoricism and essentialism as they appear not only
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Jan 12, 2012
Ted
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Popper is a pretty persuasive writer, a real scholar. I was a bit skeptical when I started this book, since I had always held Plato in pretty high esteem. But Popper brought together a lot of what I already knew in a way that made me rethink some of my opinions.
I would like to read the other volume of The Open Society and Its Enemies, on Hegel and Marx, but don't yet have it.
I would like to read the other volume of The Open Society and Its Enemies, on Hegel and Marx, but don't yet have it.
May 23, 2009
Rebecca
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"If we dream of a return to our childhood, if we are tempted to rely on others and so be happy, if we shrink from the task of carrying our cross, the cross of humaneness, of reason, of responsibility, if we lose courage and flinch from the strain, then we must try to fortify ourselves with a clear understanding of the simple decision before us. We can return to the beasts. But if we wish to remain human, then there is only one way, the way into the open society. We must go into the unkno
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Dec 09, 2010
James
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A famous (or, depending upon whom you ask, infamous) take-down of Plato and all that he, on Popper's view, engendered. Also, just fabulous writing in general. Popper is one of the most straight-forward philosophers I've ever encountered.
Apr 26, 2011
John
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Good analysis, horrible conclusion. Anybody who looks around themselves today and doesn't side with the enemies of the open society is degenerate scum.
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This review brought to you by Doritos®
Jan 29, 2011
Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea
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Really interesting look at the problems of historicism and totalitarianism in plato. a little slow to get into but once there, it's amazing. i really appreciated it.
Apr 06, 2011
Adrian
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Straightforward and coldly logical criticism of sociological historicism as seen first in Plato, and later by Hegel and Marx (Vol. 2). Lucid and thorough.
Apr 28, 2009
Andrew
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Part one of one of the best books I've ever read. I highly, highly recommend this one...
May 10, 2011
Simon
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This was great. I haven't read Plato, but Popper takes him to cleaners and back again. He clearly shows that Plato had a pretty scary vision for the state, and makes certain his readers know how he came to this conclusion. There are some frightening parallels between Plato and modern leftist thinking, and some obvious ones between Platonism and modern Totalitarianism. At its heart this is a criticism of the historicist school of thinking, and the impact it has on society today. Highly recommende
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Aug 02, 2009
It's all too easy to take institutions like schools and colleges for granted, or words like "democracy" or "freedom" as givens. Popper, one of the greatest minds of the 20thC, reminds us that an uncritical acceptance of what we assume to be good for us, of authority etc, is perhaps one of the greatest dangers we pose to ourselves.
Jan 10, 2008
Jack
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An excellent work that does indeed help break Plato's spell, which has actually convinced people that The Republic does not describe a Sparta-like totalitarian nightmare society and then hold it up as an ideal polity. (Apparently Plato just couldn't forgive the Athenian democracy for killing Socrates)
Jan 28, 2008
I have owned this book for a couple of years, but have only read chunks. Must finish. Traces the totalitarian neo-Marxists straight back to Plato's philosopher king ethos and puts them in their place.
Aug 04, 2009
My favorite philosopher - his theory on scientific methodology was the foundation of my thesis
Apr 23, 2010
Malini
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Karl Popper's ideas are too reasonable to be reasonable, and that is why I love him.
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