1st Edition

In Search of a Better World Lectures and Essays from Thirty Years

By Karl Popper Copyright 1995
    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    'I want to begin by declaring that I regard scientific knowledge as the most important kind of knowledge we have', writes Sir Karl Popper in the opening essay of this book, which collects his meditations on the real improvements science has wrought in society, in politics and in the arts in the course of the twentieth century. His subjects range from the beginnings of scientific speculation in classical Greece to the destructive effects of twentieth century totalitarianism, from major figures of the Enlightenment such as Kant and Voltaire to the role of science and self-criticism in the arts. The essays offer striking new insights into the mind of one of the greatest twentieth century philosophers.

    Part 1 On Knowledge; Chapter 1 Knowledge and the Shaping of Reality; Chapter 2 On Knowledge and Ignorance; Chapter 3 On the So-Called Sources of Knowledge; Chapter 4 Science and Criticism; Chapter 5 The Logic of the Social Sciences; Chapter 6 Against Big Words; Part 2 On History; Chapter 7 Books and Thoughts; Chapter 8 On Culture Clash; Chapter 9 Immanuel Kant: The Philosopher of the Enlightenment; Chapter 10 Emancipation through Knowledge; Chapter 11 Public Opinion and Liberal Principles; Chapter 12 An Objective Theory of Historical Understanding; Part 3 Von Den Neuesten … Zusammengestohlen Aus Verschiedenem, Diesem Und Jenen*This title is stolen. It comes from a remark written by Beethoven on the manuscript of a string quartet: ‘viertes Quartett, von den Neuesten, fur 2 Violinen, Bratsche und Violincell. Zusammengestohlen aus Verschiedenem, Diesem und Jenen.’ An approximate translation of Beethoven's untranslatable playful remark would be: ‘Fourth quartet, for 2 violins, viola and cello, pinched from the latest compositions – from the most various ones, from these and from those ….’; Chapter 13 How I see Philosophy; Chapter 14 Toleration and Intellectual Responsibility; Chapter 15 What Does the West Believe in?; Chapter 16 Creative Self-Criticism in Science and in Art;

    Biography

    Karl Popper

    'It offers us a chance to renew our acquaintance with this veteran philosopher and to learn some new things.' - Jim Baggott, New Scientist

    'Each of these essays speaks out in Popper's firm, clear, unambiguous voice ... they are very readable and persuasive on important issues.' - Nature