Karl PopperThe Open Society and Its Enemies (Routledge Classics)

This is a phenomenal review of how our society evolved from the tribal roots into an open society. It shows how the inchoate democracy of ancient Greece started a movement that led to Bill of Rights and the first serious attempt to establish a full open society.This book is essential for those who follow current attempt to return us back to the tribal arrangement of yore under the cloak of "progressivism".It is a great read also!

This is an excellent work to read if you would like to think about what an "open society" is, and how it can be defended from the forces of what Karl Popper calls "historicist" thinking (which, in his view, leads to totalitarian modes of thought and utopian social engineering.) Popper's critique of Plato's political thought is especially interesting, as Popper claims that the totalitarian ideas which plagued the 20th Century -- most specifically Communism and National Socialism -- had their intellectual roots in Plato's writings. A fascinating read.

We are in 1956, Popper is defending that civilization must criticize authority to keep itself open to changes. An open and ever-changing society has much more chance to thrive over the centuries. Because even great thinkers may make great mistakes. What a rebel! I was hooked but didn’t imagine that Plato was first. Popper fiercely attacks “The Republic ” and “The Laws” showing that Plato’s ideas would ultimately create a closed society averse to any type of change. This is particularly shocking if you also read Plato’s books. Regarding society, Aristotle is simply classified as unoriginal just reusing Plato’s ideas. In sequence comes Hegel (1770 - 1831) and Bergson (1859 - 1941), who were promptly defined as frauds making use of fancy language to broadcast inconsistent ideas. And he finishes with Marx (1818 - 1883) mainly discussing “Das Kapital” with focus on the hypothesis that capitalism will eventually converge to socialism, which Marx tried to defend as a scientific law using historical facts. Takeaway message: you must decide for yourself if the ideas of any authority are morally good or bad.

I read this book at age 27 and understood little of it. I read it again at 35 and began to understand it. I read it again at 41 and breathed it in like fresh air. I have just read it again at 48 and find so much more in it than I found even at the last reading. This is a book to be read and re-read, deeply understood, and mined for it's multitude of ideas and arguments. 5 stars indeed - I love this book.

While I think that Popper is much too generous in his treatment of Marx's intellect and his ideas, he gets to the heart of the problem with Plato, Hegel, and their intellectual heir Karl Marx. Centrally planned economic systems and failed historicist predictions are carefully and boldly argued against. Popper brilliantly attacks these men's ideas; he does not attack their characters or try to psychologize them.

A WONDERFUL WORK OF SCHOLARSHIP ARGUMENT AND CLARITYCONTROVERSIAL AND BRILLIANTA MASTERPIECE OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHYPOPPER'S WORK ON PLATO HERE IS UNEQUALEDTHIS WORK IS AN INTELLECTUAL PLEASURE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER

I found this book difficult to read and it took me a long time to finish. The book is a masterpiece and i have learned a lot through reading it. I would recommend it only to those with strong motivation to read complicated books.

A must for anyone that has been trick in their education, uppps we could say, basically most of us. Pooper unveils the fallacies of Hegel, Marx and Plato.

Sokrates ist Poppers Vorbild: geh von Fakten aus, bleib dir der Begrenztheit deiner Erkenntnis bewusst und übernehme Verantwortung dafür , indem du an der Wirklichkeit prüfst und Irrtümer einräumst.Eine sehr wohltuende Stimme gegenüber der abgehobenen und kritischen Theorie, die die empirische Überprüfung konsequent verweigert.Aber worum es ihm eigentlich geht: schon Plato hat den rassistischen und faschistischen zwei Klassenstaat geplant und dazu auch die rhetorischen Tricks, und Lügen, mit denen man die Bevölkerung dazu bringen kann, ihre Freiheit gegen Sicherheit einzutauschen.Hegel hat mit der Dialektik ein Verfahren als wissenschaftlich ausgegeben, das in Wirklichkeit dazu dienen kann jeglichen Begriff in sein Gegenteil zu verdrehen. Und das war auch seine Aufgabe, denn er war der Hofphilosoph des preußischen Königs und seine Aufgabe war im preußischen autoritischen Staat als ideale Lebensform darzustellen.Marx ist für Popper ein Überzeugungstäter, der die Funktionsweise und die Destruktivität des ungezügelten Kapitalismus sehr gut analysiert und beschrieben hat. Der aber wie Plato und Hegel überzeugt war von historischen Gesetzmäßigkeiten. Dass Menschen, Arbeitgeber, Arbeiter-Organisationen, und auch der Staat und seine Politiker, Beamten und Gesetzgeber in der Lage sein könnten, durch Reformen dem Kapitalismus Zügel anzulegen , kam in seiner historischen Dialektik nicht vor. Die Heilsbringende Arbeitsklasse sollte die Diktatur des Proletariats errichten. Was die offene Gesellschaft und ihre Freiheit abzuschaffen bedeutet.Höcke und Kubitschek haben ihren Plato und ihren Hegel gelesen. Popper ist das Gegengift dazu. Leider ist dieses wichtigste seiner Werke in deutscher Sprache nur noch antiquarisch zu erhalten. Er formuliert aber so klar, dass man auch mit der englischen Originalversion klar kommen kann. Denn er, der Österreicher, hat dieses Werk im englischsprachigen Exil geschrieben.

Uma obra fundamental para entender a democracia e as ameaças à democracia

This book is a great example of mastering talking for nothing as a true philosopher.The book is very long and just talk about nothing, it talks about Plato and Marx and explain why communism doesn't work.No for real ? Of course I needed a 600 pages book to know this.Before buying the book I would recommend to find the pdf online and read a few chapters to know if it''s a good book for you.And this is something I would always recommend (and unfortunately I didn't do it this time) before buying a philosophy book.Philosophy books are a lot of hit or miss. Some just talk about nothing for hours (like Popper). I like philosophy book on real subject (not BS philo stuff like what's a definition ?). This one is not for you if you're like myself.

Popper is great for debunking nonsense. I have read much of his work on the philosophy of science, including Conjectures and Refutations, where he discusses what makes statements/propositions of science meaningful. I have also read his critique of the social sciences in The Poverty of Historicism. For The Open Society and Its Enemies, which I am enjoying reading now, I hope to submit a more-detailed review later.In this book, The Open Society and Its Enemies, Popper challenges "utopian" thinking in Plato, Hegel and Marx. We should seriously reflect on how their ideas have influenced so-called "progressive" ideologies entering the 21st century. We should be concerned how the utopian views and "identity politics" of the "politically-correct" radical left have blinded our universities and our press to where they are no longer critical. Moreover, in 2020, states around the world have assumed extraordinary powers to fight what is being called a "global pandemic".If you still have an open mind and wish to keep it, read this book. This book was an inspiration to many who lived under the totalitarian rule in the post-war Soviet republics. It was, and is, a source of hope for restoring democracy in our times if we are not too late. Read the book. It is time to act!

Beautifully written, profound humanistic work.