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Karl Raimund Popper
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The Open Society and Its Enemies, Vol. 1: The Spell of Plato Paperback – February 1, 1971

by Karl R. Popper (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 100 ratings
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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.

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  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 1971
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691019681
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691019680
  8. See all details
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From the Back Cover

'A work of first-class importance which ought to be widely read for its masterly criticism of the enemies of democracy, ancient and modern.'-Bertrand Russell

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; 5th edition (February 1, 1971)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691019681
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691019680
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 100 ratings

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Karl Raimund Popper

Karl Raimund Popper

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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
100 global ratings

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Birds of Fire
5.0 out of 5 stars Some flaws, some misunderstandings, but on the whole correct.
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2018
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This was the Volume I of Karl Popper magnum opus. I'm still trying to find Volume II. I ordered it on Amazon, but the seller sent me Volume I, instead. The seller refunded my money, but I still don't have Volume II. Anyway, this is a non-fiction history of the early Greek push for a stable (he calls it "open") society, free from tyranny. Karl has a problem dealing with the spiritual side of persons. He apparently wasn't a very spiritual person, so he dismisses the ethical and moral implications of modern spirituality as "taboos". I guess he didn't read far enough into the Judeo-Christian scriptures to reach the Two Great Commandments. Those commandments are not "the 65 MPH Speed Limit" for people's behavior. They are "Newton's Laws of Motion" for people's behavior. Unless a person has a chemical imbalance or a physical defect in their brain, they cannot break the Two Great Commandments. Mr. Popper never read that part of Judeo-Christian theology. So, he incorrectly believed that Judeo-Christian theology still revolved around "taboos", and "thou shalt not ...". He is correct in thinking that the Old Testament view of "thou shalt not" is like trying to push a length of chain so that it is straight. Try it; it can't be done. You can push and shove that length of chain until your heart breaks. It will never come out straight. Enter a construction worker from Nazareth. HE says, "Grab the chain by either end and pull it; the chain is immediately straight." Yeah, HE said, "Regardless of whether you want to or not, you will follow that thing you have called your god with your whole heart and soul and mind and strength and will. And whether you want to or not, you cannot treat another person fundamentally better than you treat yourself; you will condemn them for things you feel guilty for doing yourself, and you will praise them for the behaviors you like best about yourself." HE didn't say it in those exact words, but that's what it comes out meaning. Sans the understanding of the Two Great Commandments, Mr. Popper incorrectly believed that the Judeo-Christian ethic was stuck in Deuteronomy. So why the 5-Star rating, if he messed up his analysis? Well, he correctly describes the evil that wants to destroy civilization. He correctly describes how evil people will exploit the tendency for people to want to shirk their responsibilities in order to turn civilization backwards. It is hard work being civilized. It is hard work taking responsibility for your own mistakes. It is hard work having to be mindful, thoughtful, and deliberate in your actions. As Rudyard Kipling observed, "If you don't fight it, the jungle will run in." He is correct in that.
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Vincent Poirier
5.0 out of 5 stars Refuting Plato
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2005
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Popper wrote this book for me and for people like me, i.e. for people who stand in awe of Plato simply because he is Plato.

I read Plato's Republic in 1985 or thereabouts. I had learned of the allegory of the cave in class and wanted to know more. Also, in one M*A*S*H episode, the Republic was among the books Frank Burns was burning, so of course I had to read it. I did, and apart from Book One's denunciation of the maxim "Might Makes Right", I felt uneasy about the rest of the work. At the time, I felt that there must have been something wrong with me, that I wasn't reading it right, that after all having stood the test of time for over two thousand years Plato simply couldn't be wrong. If only I had known of Popper in 1985!

Popper is in many ways pointing out the obvious: that Emperor Plato is wearing no clothes. His Republic is nothing more than a totalitarian state and his value system represses the individual in favour of the State.

Popper begins by describing what he calls "Historicism" or the belief that history develops according to laws from which the future could be predicted, with Heraclitus being the first "historicist". Popper then continues with an overview Plato's thought, especially his Theory of Forms and his brilliant sociological insights. He then exposes over three chapters Plato's political programme to bring about a perfect City-State, and here is where Popper points out the obvious: Plato's Republic is a totalitarian state that controls every facet of the lives of all its citizens and represses any every invidual path to happiness.

In the last chapter, Popper sketches out how an Open Society would work and gives the example of Athens just before Plato. Unlike others who have savaged Plato (e.g. Ayn Rand) Popper doesn't lay out a master plan to replace Plato's. He doesn't believe in utopias, Platonic or otherwise. Popper believes in what he calls "Piecemeal Social Engineering" i.e. fixing problems as they come up, or improving institutions when the opportunity arises.

This is Popper's Open Society. One where we accept that things are as they are, that they can be improved, that individuals are the only judges of their own happiness and that they should have complete freedom to pursue it as they see fit, insofar as they don't harm others too much. His test for an Open Society is very simple: a society is open if its government can change without bloodshed.

In 1948, Scott Buchanan wrote, in the introduction to Penguin's Portable Plato, that "the reading of Plato's dialogues by a large number of people could make the difference between a century of folly and a century of wisdom for the world". Perhaps, but only if the reader approches Plato without awe and with a critical mind. As did Popper.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
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Thomas's disappointment
5.0 out of 5 stars Good service
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2024
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As promised, the book arrived on time and in good condition
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Aseshkrishna Datta
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in India on May 20, 2016
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Had issues with an already opened packet!
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Paul V. KATCHALOV
5.0 out of 5 stars Immer noch zu lesenden.
Reviewed in Germany on March 26, 2015
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Popper ist klug. Popper ist klar. Popper heutzutage noch haben auszulesenden von jedem aufgeklärten Subjekt als ein Gegenmittel gegen die totalitäre Ideologie. Aber all dies schließt nicht aus die Suche und der Fund beide Wahrheit und Inspiration in Plato dass er kritisiert für die angeblichen Folgen seine Theorien hatte in der 20 Jahrhundertgeschichte. Aber Popper hat seine schreckliche Mängel besitzen: seine Erkenntnistheorie lächerlich und Begrenzung [woher er sich versuchte zu sein eine Art von "totalitärer Tyrann" im Reich von Wissenschaften begrenzt ist]. Und ich bin mir nicht sicher wer im langen Lauf betrachtet wird Philosoph der wahre Genie durch die Nachwelt. Ob das Popper selbst sein würde, oder diese origineller Denker, zu wessen Arbeiten die ganze europäische Philosophie ist nur ein endloser Kommentar, und denen Popper wagt zu so rau kritisieren zwei und halbes tausend nachher er war gegangen.
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Iakov1234
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2016
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Quite simply one of the best books out there
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2017
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Perfect.
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