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All Life is Problem Solving
'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.
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.
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Karl Popper
302books1,648followersSir Karl Raimund Popper, FRS, rose from a modest background as an assistant cabinet maker and school teacher to become one of the most influential theorists and leading philosophers. Popper commanded international audiences and conversation with him was an intellectual adventure—even if a little rough—animated by a myriad of philosophical problems. He contributed to a field of thought encompassing (among others) political theory, quantum mechanics, logic, scientific method and evolutionary theory.
Popper challenged some of the ruling orthodoxies of philosophy: logical positivism, Marxism, determinism and linguistic philosophy. He argued that there are no subject matters but only problems and our desire to solve them. He said that scientific theories cannot be verified but only tentatively refuted, and that the best philosophy is about profound problems, not word meanings. Isaiah Berlin rightly said that Popper produced one of the most devastating refutations of Marxism. Through his ideas Popper promoted a critical ethos, a world in which the give and take of debate is highly esteemed in the precept that we are all infinitely ignorant, that we differ only in the little bits of knowledge that we do have, and that with some co-operative effort we may get nearer to the truth.
Nearly every first-year philosophy student knows that Popper regarded his solutions to the problems of induction and the demarcation of science from pseudo-science as his greatest contributions. He is less known for the problems of verisimilitude, of probability (a life-long love of his), and of the relationship between the mind and body.
Popper was a Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the British Academy, and Membre de I'Institute de France. He was an Honorary member of the Harvard Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics, King's College London, and of Darwin College Cambridge. He was awarded prizes and honours throughout the world, including the Austrian Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold, the Lippincott Award of the American Political Science Association, and the Sonning Prize for merit in work which had furthered European civilization.
Karl Popper was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1965 and invested by her with the Insignia of a Companion of Honour in 1982.
(edited from )
Popper challenged some of the ruling orthodoxies of philosophy: logical positivism, Marxism, determinism and linguistic philosophy. He argued that there are no subject matters but only problems and our desire to solve them. He said that scientific theories cannot be verified but only tentatively refuted, and that the best philosophy is about profound problems, not word meanings. Isaiah Berlin rightly said that Popper produced one of the most devastating refutations of Marxism. Through his ideas Popper promoted a critical ethos, a world in which the give and take of debate is highly esteemed in the precept that we are all infinitely ignorant, that we differ only in the little bits of knowledge that we do have, and that with some co-operative effort we may get nearer to the truth.
Nearly every first-year philosophy student knows that Popper regarded his solutions to the problems of induction and the demarcation of science from pseudo-science as his greatest contributions. He is less known for the problems of verisimilitude, of probability (a life-long love of his), and of the relationship between the mind and body.
Popper was a Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the British Academy, and Membre de I'Institute de France. He was an Honorary member of the Harvard Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics, King's College London, and of Darwin College Cambridge. He was awarded prizes and honours throughout the world, including the Austrian Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold, the Lippincott Award of the American Political Science Association, and the Sonning Prize for merit in work which had furthered European civilization.
Karl Popper was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1965 and invested by her with the Insignia of a Companion of Honour in 1982.
(edited from )
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
June 9, 2012
Chapter 7 is genius.
"A rationalist is simply someone for whom it is more important to learn than to be proved right..."
"A rationalist is simply someone for whom it is more important to learn than to be proved right..."
September 14, 2016
بخش اول کتاب به فلسفه علم و معرفت شناسی و مسائل علوم طبیعی می‌پرداز� و بخش دوم هم به تاریخ و سیاست.
این کتاب یک مجموعه از 15 سخنرانی و مصاحبه پوپره.
اگر با پوپر و نظریاتش آشنایی چندانی ندارید، این کتاب میتونه یک دید کلی از نظرات پوپر به شما بده.
همیشه با خوندن نظرات پوپر درباره علم به وجد می‌اومد� و میدیدم که چه نگاه عمیق و خوب و به قول خودش "انتقادی" نسبت به مسائل داره.
در بخش دوم هم فعالیت‌ها� رو درباره مسئله صلح خوندم و دیدم که چقدر تلاش میکرده که واقع‌گرایان� به مسائل جهانی نگاه کنه.
"ما چیزی نمی‌دانی�. این اولین نکته است.
بنابراین ما باید بسیار متواضع باشیم. این دومین نکته است.
دیگر اینکه نباید مدعی دانستن باشیم در حالی که چیزی نمی‌دانی�. این سومین نکته است.
این کمابیش همان رویکردی است که می‌خواه� آن را رواج دهم. هرچند چشم‌اندا� خوبی از آن نمی‌بین�."
این کتاب یک مجموعه از 15 سخنرانی و مصاحبه پوپره.
اگر با پوپر و نظریاتش آشنایی چندانی ندارید، این کتاب میتونه یک دید کلی از نظرات پوپر به شما بده.
همیشه با خوندن نظرات پوپر درباره علم به وجد می‌اومد� و میدیدم که چه نگاه عمیق و خوب و به قول خودش "انتقادی" نسبت به مسائل داره.
در بخش دوم هم فعالیت‌ها� رو درباره مسئله صلح خوندم و دیدم که چقدر تلاش میکرده که واقع‌گرایان� به مسائل جهانی نگاه کنه.
"ما چیزی نمی‌دانی�. این اولین نکته است.
بنابراین ما باید بسیار متواضع باشیم. این دومین نکته است.
دیگر اینکه نباید مدعی دانستن باشیم در حالی که چیزی نمی‌دانی�. این سومین نکته است.
این کمابیش همان رویکردی است که می‌خواه� آن را رواج دهم. هرچند چشم‌اندا� خوبی از آن نمی‌بین�."
July 23, 2020
I picked this up after a friend mentioned that in chapter 2 (``Notes of a realist on the body-mind problem") Karl Popper (of all people) makes a case for dualism. I gave it a read thinking that it would be a breath of fresh air away from the prevailing physicalist views that have dominated the conversation for many years now. Having read the chapter I was in an odd situation: I found Popper's argument compelling and was convinced by it, but I had little idea what exactly it had convinced me of! Digging a bit deeper I found that Popper argued not for good old fashioned Cartesian dualism, but rather something that seems to be another in a long chain of attempts by philosophers to evade the issues of physicalism and at the same time not deal with those of substance dualism by erecting large edifices of arcane definitions and arguments in a misguided effort at having their cake and eating it too (which I think is somewhat characteristic of much of the entire business of philosophy and the reason why I take such a dim view of it.)
With that out of the way let me say that I very much enjoyed the book and found it very stimulating. Popper's elaborations on his epistemological theory of science and the way he generalizes the approach to knowledge all the way from amoeba to the pinnacles of human knowledge are particularly interesting. Popper has some thought-provoking views regarding politics and history. He vehemently opposes the idea of the future being a continuation of the past, and more generally predictions about the future and historical prophecies. The future to Popper is like blank pages that we have a duty to write as best as we can. In one chapter Popper argues convincingly against multiparty proportional systems of government and for (much maligned) two party systems. One of the most salient points throughout the book is Popper's disdain for Marxism. This is rooted in his youth when as a member of the communist party he attended a demonstration during which the police shot and killed several of his comrades. One would think that this would have further galvanized him, but he felt responsible for those deaths and his reasoning was ``...although I had a right to risk my own life for the sake of my ideals, I certainly had no right to encourage others to risk their life for my ideals." which is a perfectly sensible sentiment. The problem arises when in a later chapter Popper advocates ``War for Peace" and urges civilized (western) societies to go to war against the likes of Saddam Hussein (and oh did that particular example not age well). So Popper has an issue with expecting his Austrian compatriots to die for his ideals but is perfectly content with middle eastern civilians doing so. While being the overwhelming majority, middle eastern civilians (and soldiers and conscripts) are not the only casualties of the wars Popper is only too eager to wage. In the US at least, the armed forces are made up disproportionately of working class individuals, this leads me to my next point regrading Popper's opposition to Marxism. Popper rejects Marxism on the basis that Marx's assertions about the inevitability of the proletariat's revolution and a final classless society do not hold water. This may well be so, but Popper seems to propagates an implicit false dichotomy between Marxism and the existing capitalist economic order and is too keen in exalting its virtues. Now I must say that Popper is by no means some kind of rightwing nutjob who preaches nonsense like ``pulling yourself up by the bootstraps." Far from it in fact, elsewhere in the book he notes ``How someone fares in life is largely a matter of luck or grace, and to a comparatively small degree perhaps also of competence, diligence, and other virtues." The issue with Popper seems to be that in his opposition to one unsound viewpoint he goes too far in the other direction. Another example of this is seen in his attitude towards Greens and environmental issues. He argues that they irrationally oppose science and technology to the detriment of the very cause that they champion. There is truth to that, but when asked about the anthropogenic depletion of the ozone layer and the scientific consensus surrounding it, he replies with ``...scientist are not always right." I think I hardly need to elaborate on the dangers of this kind of thinking in the face of crises such as global warming and a pandemic. Popper also ascribes environmental issues to overpopulation alone, and does not even consider the issue of consumerism.
With that out of the way let me say that I very much enjoyed the book and found it very stimulating. Popper's elaborations on his epistemological theory of science and the way he generalizes the approach to knowledge all the way from amoeba to the pinnacles of human knowledge are particularly interesting. Popper has some thought-provoking views regarding politics and history. He vehemently opposes the idea of the future being a continuation of the past, and more generally predictions about the future and historical prophecies. The future to Popper is like blank pages that we have a duty to write as best as we can. In one chapter Popper argues convincingly against multiparty proportional systems of government and for (much maligned) two party systems. One of the most salient points throughout the book is Popper's disdain for Marxism. This is rooted in his youth when as a member of the communist party he attended a demonstration during which the police shot and killed several of his comrades. One would think that this would have further galvanized him, but he felt responsible for those deaths and his reasoning was ``...although I had a right to risk my own life for the sake of my ideals, I certainly had no right to encourage others to risk their life for my ideals." which is a perfectly sensible sentiment. The problem arises when in a later chapter Popper advocates ``War for Peace" and urges civilized (western) societies to go to war against the likes of Saddam Hussein (and oh did that particular example not age well). So Popper has an issue with expecting his Austrian compatriots to die for his ideals but is perfectly content with middle eastern civilians doing so. While being the overwhelming majority, middle eastern civilians (and soldiers and conscripts) are not the only casualties of the wars Popper is only too eager to wage. In the US at least, the armed forces are made up disproportionately of working class individuals, this leads me to my next point regrading Popper's opposition to Marxism. Popper rejects Marxism on the basis that Marx's assertions about the inevitability of the proletariat's revolution and a final classless society do not hold water. This may well be so, but Popper seems to propagates an implicit false dichotomy between Marxism and the existing capitalist economic order and is too keen in exalting its virtues. Now I must say that Popper is by no means some kind of rightwing nutjob who preaches nonsense like ``pulling yourself up by the bootstraps." Far from it in fact, elsewhere in the book he notes ``How someone fares in life is largely a matter of luck or grace, and to a comparatively small degree perhaps also of competence, diligence, and other virtues." The issue with Popper seems to be that in his opposition to one unsound viewpoint he goes too far in the other direction. Another example of this is seen in his attitude towards Greens and environmental issues. He argues that they irrationally oppose science and technology to the detriment of the very cause that they champion. There is truth to that, but when asked about the anthropogenic depletion of the ozone layer and the scientific consensus surrounding it, he replies with ``...scientist are not always right." I think I hardly need to elaborate on the dangers of this kind of thinking in the face of crises such as global warming and a pandemic. Popper also ascribes environmental issues to overpopulation alone, and does not even consider the issue of consumerism.
July 6, 2024
Surprisingly, this is the second time I read this book. I first heard his name when Dr. Magdi Yacoub, one of the prominent Egyptian cardiothoracic surgeon mentioned in a conference in Kasr al-Aini, Cairo University in 2016. He mentioned that his thought was highly influenced by Karl Popper and Peter Medawar. Since then, I only able to read Medawar’s Advice to a Young Scientist and The Limits of Science but I found out that Popper is a little bit difficult to read.
Reading this book for the second time open up a better understanding of Popper’s view on science and history. As this book (most of it) is a collection of speeches delivered by him, I found that this book is a gripping, smooth and enjoyable read. It is divided into two parts. The first part is about natural science while the second part is about history and politics.
One of the interesting things in this book is when Popper mentioned that he admired Kant and Einstein a lot and during his early phase of childhood, he read Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason but couldn’t understand it until he found Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation in his father’s library which explained Kant’s Critique. The book is the key that make Popper explores a lot of Kant’s works later on.
If Thomas Kuhn was famous with “paradigm shift� in which he proposed brilliantly in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Popper was known with his “falsification� theory where he believes that every scientific experiment is falsifiable. One of the things that he proposed in his theory of science is a three-stage model:
1. Problem.
2. Attempted solution (via hypothesis, theories or conjectures).
3. Elimination.
From this falsification, comes improvement.
Popper mentioned during a speech in Kyoto in 1992,
“I can recommend every serious student, and especially every serious science student, to look out for a beautiful problem that he can really love, and to which he is prepared to dedicate his life. This attitude will make it easy for him to try again and again to find a solution, and to be critical of his own effort which, in most cases, will frequently have to be redoubled before they can be successful. Even if they appear to be successful, they should be most seriously questioned by himself, for they will be open to improvement.�
“The constant consciousness of our own fallibility, and constant self-criticism combined with unlimited devotion to our main problem and its many problem-children and other subsidiary problems � this is what I can recommend to you with full conviction, from the bottom of my heart.�
Reading this book for the second time open up a better understanding of Popper’s view on science and history. As this book (most of it) is a collection of speeches delivered by him, I found that this book is a gripping, smooth and enjoyable read. It is divided into two parts. The first part is about natural science while the second part is about history and politics.
One of the interesting things in this book is when Popper mentioned that he admired Kant and Einstein a lot and during his early phase of childhood, he read Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason but couldn’t understand it until he found Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation in his father’s library which explained Kant’s Critique. The book is the key that make Popper explores a lot of Kant’s works later on.
If Thomas Kuhn was famous with “paradigm shift� in which he proposed brilliantly in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Popper was known with his “falsification� theory where he believes that every scientific experiment is falsifiable. One of the things that he proposed in his theory of science is a three-stage model:
1. Problem.
2. Attempted solution (via hypothesis, theories or conjectures).
3. Elimination.
From this falsification, comes improvement.
Popper mentioned during a speech in Kyoto in 1992,
“I can recommend every serious student, and especially every serious science student, to look out for a beautiful problem that he can really love, and to which he is prepared to dedicate his life. This attitude will make it easy for him to try again and again to find a solution, and to be critical of his own effort which, in most cases, will frequently have to be redoubled before they can be successful. Even if they appear to be successful, they should be most seriously questioned by himself, for they will be open to improvement.�
“The constant consciousness of our own fallibility, and constant self-criticism combined with unlimited devotion to our main problem and its many problem-children and other subsidiary problems � this is what I can recommend to you with full conviction, from the bottom of my heart.�
June 5, 2022
کتاب به دو بخش کلی تقسیم می‌شو�: «مسایل علوم طبیعی» و «اندیشه‌های� در باب تاریخ و سیاست». بخش نخست شامل این مقالات است: «منطق و تکامل نظریه علمی»، «یادداشت‌ها� یک رئالیست درباره مساله جسم ــ ذهن»، «معرفت شناسی و مساله صلح»، «موقعیت معرفت شناختی معرفت شناسی تکاملی»، «به سوی یک نظریه تکاملی معرفت» و «متافیزیک کپلر درباره منطومه شمسی و نقد تجربی وی».
بخش دوم نیز شامل مقالاتی با این سرفصل‌هاس�: «درباره آزادی»، «درباره نظریه دموکراسی»، «زندگی سراسر حل مسئله است»، «علیه تفسیر کلبی مسلکانه تاریخ»، «جنگیدن به خاطر صلح»- مصاحبه با مجله اشپیگل - ، «سقوط کمونیسم، درک گذشته و تاثیر بر آینده»، «ضرورت صلح»- در مراسم دریافت جایزه صلح اتو هان و تاثیری که از کودکی بر او داشته‌ان�: هان و فریتیوف نانسن -، «مازاریک و جامعه باز» - سخنرانی پوپر در پراگ درباره توماس مازاریک بنیان‌گذا� چک‌اسلواک� پس از جنگ جهانی اول - و «چگونه بدون زحمت فیلسوف شدم» - در مراسم دریافت جایزه کیوتو و توضیح مختصر و جالبی از چگونگی برخورد او با مسائل مورد علاقه‌ا� - .
بخش دوم نیز شامل مقالاتی با این سرفصل‌هاس�: «درباره آزادی»، «درباره نظریه دموکراسی»، «زندگی سراسر حل مسئله است»، «علیه تفسیر کلبی مسلکانه تاریخ»، «جنگیدن به خاطر صلح»- مصاحبه با مجله اشپیگل - ، «سقوط کمونیسم، درک گذشته و تاثیر بر آینده»، «ضرورت صلح»- در مراسم دریافت جایزه صلح اتو هان و تاثیری که از کودکی بر او داشته‌ان�: هان و فریتیوف نانسن -، «مازاریک و جامعه باز» - سخنرانی پوپر در پراگ درباره توماس مازاریک بنیان‌گذا� چک‌اسلواک� پس از جنگ جهانی اول - و «چگونه بدون زحمت فیلسوف شدم» - در مراسم دریافت جایزه کیوتو و توضیح مختصر و جالبی از چگونگی برخورد او با مسائل مورد علاقه‌ا� - .
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April 5, 2011این کتاب دومین کتابی که از پوپر خوندم. پوپر همه چیزهایی که من حس میکنم و البته خیلی بیشتر از اون رو با کلماتی که اگه منم بودم همونها رو استفاده میکردم توضیح میده. کلا پوپر باعث میشه که خیلی از افکارم برای خودم ترجمه بشه.
January 21, 2023
İlk bölümü okumak kolay değildi. İkinci bölüm ise bence çok ufuk açıcıydı. II. Bölüm;Popper’ın, Tarih, Demokrasi, Kapitalizm, Özgürlük gibi konulara nasıl yaklaştığı, çeşitli söyleşilerden iktibas yapılarak oluşturulmuş. “Daha önce okumadığıma pişmanım� kategorisine bir kitap daha eklendi.
Kitaptan bir kaç cümle:
“Bence seçim günü yeni hükümeti meşrulaştıran bir gün değil, eski hükümeti mahkemeye çıkardığımız gün olmalı!�
“Barışa bir adım olsun yaklaşabilmek için ideolojilerden kaçınmalıyız�.dokuna dokuna, bütün mütevazılığımızla nesnel gerçeği aramalıyız. Artık daha fazla her şeyi bilen peygamberi oynamaya çalışmamalıyız. Bu da demektir ki: Değişmeliyiz!�
“Kıta Avrupası’nın en önemli kültür taşıyıcıları şehirlerdi. Eğitim ve kültür miras bırakılan bir şey değildi; insanın kendisinin kazandığı bir şeydi. Eğitim ve kültür, toplumsal yükselişin, bilgi aracılığıyla kendini özgürleştirmenin bir aracı ve sembolüydü.�
“İnsanlık tarihi aslında politik güç tarihidir.
Geçmiş’in gerçekte nasıl olduysa öyle bir tarihi olamaz. Sadece tarihsel yorumlar olabilir, bunların hiç biri nihai değildir; her neslin de kendi yorumlarını yaratma hakkı vardır. Hatta böyle bir yorum yorum yaratma ödevi vardır.�
Sonuç: Her fikrine katılmasam da kitabı çok beğendim!
Kitaptan bir kaç cümle:
“Bence seçim günü yeni hükümeti meşrulaştıran bir gün değil, eski hükümeti mahkemeye çıkardığımız gün olmalı!�
“Barışa bir adım olsun yaklaşabilmek için ideolojilerden kaçınmalıyız�.dokuna dokuna, bütün mütevazılığımızla nesnel gerçeği aramalıyız. Artık daha fazla her şeyi bilen peygamberi oynamaya çalışmamalıyız. Bu da demektir ki: Değişmeliyiz!�
“Kıta Avrupası’nın en önemli kültür taşıyıcıları şehirlerdi. Eğitim ve kültür miras bırakılan bir şey değildi; insanın kendisinin kazandığı bir şeydi. Eğitim ve kültür, toplumsal yükselişin, bilgi aracılığıyla kendini özgürleştirmenin bir aracı ve sembolüydü.�
“İnsanlık tarihi aslında politik güç tarihidir.
Geçmiş’in gerçekte nasıl olduysa öyle bir tarihi olamaz. Sadece tarihsel yorumlar olabilir, bunların hiç biri nihai değildir; her neslin de kendi yorumlarını yaratma hakkı vardır. Hatta böyle bir yorum yorum yaratma ödevi vardır.�
Sonuç: Her fikrine katılmasam da kitabı çok beğendim!
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February 22, 2025Wir wissen gar nichts 😧😧
July 10, 2018
Great compilation of lectures & articles, chiefly revolving around a few basic theses advanced by Popper. Much of it is implied by the title: life is a problem solving system, one which we can and should control consciously for our universal betterment. Popper also emphasizes in these pieces another common thread in his thought: the future is not yet, and for that reason we have a moral obligation to find the best in it that we possibly can. Further evidence that the most truly profound and humane thinkers are also the most plain-spoken ones.
October 7, 2011
مجموعه� پانزده مقاله و گفتار از پوپر که توسط خود او در دو بخش تنظیم شده: بخش نخست مسائل علوم طبیعی و بخش دوم اندیشه‌های� در باب تاریخ و سیاست. این پانزده مقاله و گفتار خواننده را با بسیاری از نظرات مهم و تاثیرگذار پوپر آشنا می‌کن�.
ترجمه آقای خواجیان هرچند قابل قبول است، اما چندان قوی و روان نیست. اما نظرات جذاب و جسورانه� پوپر باعث شد از خواندن این کتاب لذت ببرم، گرچه پیش از این بیشتر این نظرات را، به ویژه بخش نخست، مفصل‌ت� در کتابهای دیگر خوانده بودم.
ترجمه آقای خواجیان هرچند قابل قبول است، اما چندان قوی و روان نیست. اما نظرات جذاب و جسورانه� پوپر باعث شد از خواندن این کتاب لذت ببرم، گرچه پیش از این بیشتر این نظرات را، به ویژه بخش نخست، مفصل‌ت� در کتابهای دیگر خوانده بودم.
April 20, 2014
هذا النوع من الكتب يجعل عقلي يفكر ، يتسائل ، ويبحث عن الإجابات . مازلت في بدايته .
لنا عودة لاحقاً. مصطلحاته عميقة لا استطيع فهمها :)
لنا عودة لاحقاً. مصطلحاته عميقة لا استطيع فهمها :)
February 23, 2020
A timeless narrative. A dense read for only 170 pages. Yet, as important now as when the collection of passages was written. In was a good read in a time of Cold War, potential nuclear ends, polar politics, despotism, racism, AIDS, and Marxism. The only difference from an amoeba and a modern human is our capacity to learn from failures. We must look for mistakes and defects. Problem solve in iteration. Be critical. Remain optimistic and create the better future. Be critical of ones own teachers to try and make it better. Talk about our mistakes.
April 11, 2018
این کتاب مجموعه مقالاتی از پوپر است که در دو بخش مسائل علوم طبیعی و تاریخ و سیاست دسته بندی شده. پوپر دیدگاه های جالبی در خصوص فلسفه علم و به خصوص معرفت شناسی مطرح کرده که قضیه معرفت پیشین و پسین و ارتباط آن با نظریه تکامل داروین به نظر من بسیار خوب بود (فصل ۵ کتاب را قبل از فصل ۴ بخوانید. به نظرم ترتیب مناسبتری باشد)
February 5, 2020
Ich habe dieses Buch parallel zum Verfassen meiner Bachelorarbeit geschrieben und dadurch viele Erkenntnisse über das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten erhalten. Hat man einmal Popper gelesen, lässt einen seine Wissenschaftslogik nicht mehr los.
October 3, 2019
In reading a book like this one has to temper one's expectations. Typically when a great philosopher or writer dies, there are a lot of essays and generally unread speech transcripts and letters and other loose writings that are combined together into omnibus collections for fans of the author to appreciate. Such is the case here. As someone who has read more than my fair share of these collections, I have to say that this one meets the bill of precisely what one would expect, a mixture between very insightful essays that are worthy of a wide and appreciative audience, papers and transcripts that one can take or leave that show the author giving rather ordinary presentations of his familiar material, and some writings that are not particularly good or that represent an off-day for someone who was usually on. At any rate, this book is not a particularly long one and some of the essays are very good, and that is about as much as one can expect from something like this. Those who expect more would do well to read the author's more serious and more lengthy philosophical works and not a feast of scraps like this book is.
This particular book is a bit more than 150 pages and consists of fifteen essays divided into two parts. After a publisher's note and a preface, the first part of the book consists of six essays that discuss questions relating to natural science (I). These include essays about the logic and evaluation of scientific theories (1), some notes from a realist on the mind-body problem (2), epistemology and the problem of peace (3), the epistemological position of evolutionary epistemology (not good) (4), the author's thoughts about an evolutionary theory of knowledge (5), and a look at Kepler's metaphysics of the solar system as well as his empirical criticism (6). The rest of the essays deal with miscellaneous thoughts on history and politics (II). These include essays on freedom (7), the theory of democracy (8), the titular essay on problem solving (9), hostility to the cynical view of history (10), waging wars for peace (11), understanding the collapse of communism (12), the necessity of peace (13), Masaryk and the open society (14), and how the author became a philosopher (15). After this the book concludes with a subject index and an name index after having dealt with a very miscellaneous but simultaneously revealing set of essays about diverse subjects.
In reading this book, I was able to find at least a few things both to like and to dislike about it. The author's view that life amounts to a series of experiments for each life and the author's pessimism about evolutionary epistemology are certainly welcome to me, but at the same time there was also much about the author's pacifism I had reason to question and disagree with. I can see where the author is coming from but at the same time I would not ever consider myself a pacifist personally given the reality and inescapability of conflict in life. What I found most intriguing about this collection was the way that the author never stopped pondering over late-Austro-Hungarian history and post-imperial Austrian matters, most notably in his essay on Masaryk and the fact that his death before World War II deprived Czechoslovakia of a vital defender in the face of Hitler's aggression and someone who likely wouldn't have been cowed into surrender the way that his successors were. In these essays, for better and for worse, one can see the way that the author's upbringing in Vienna powerfully affected his political and cultural views, and how scientists and philosophers are not immune to such concerns.
This particular book is a bit more than 150 pages and consists of fifteen essays divided into two parts. After a publisher's note and a preface, the first part of the book consists of six essays that discuss questions relating to natural science (I). These include essays about the logic and evaluation of scientific theories (1), some notes from a realist on the mind-body problem (2), epistemology and the problem of peace (3), the epistemological position of evolutionary epistemology (not good) (4), the author's thoughts about an evolutionary theory of knowledge (5), and a look at Kepler's metaphysics of the solar system as well as his empirical criticism (6). The rest of the essays deal with miscellaneous thoughts on history and politics (II). These include essays on freedom (7), the theory of democracy (8), the titular essay on problem solving (9), hostility to the cynical view of history (10), waging wars for peace (11), understanding the collapse of communism (12), the necessity of peace (13), Masaryk and the open society (14), and how the author became a philosopher (15). After this the book concludes with a subject index and an name index after having dealt with a very miscellaneous but simultaneously revealing set of essays about diverse subjects.
In reading this book, I was able to find at least a few things both to like and to dislike about it. The author's view that life amounts to a series of experiments for each life and the author's pessimism about evolutionary epistemology are certainly welcome to me, but at the same time there was also much about the author's pacifism I had reason to question and disagree with. I can see where the author is coming from but at the same time I would not ever consider myself a pacifist personally given the reality and inescapability of conflict in life. What I found most intriguing about this collection was the way that the author never stopped pondering over late-Austro-Hungarian history and post-imperial Austrian matters, most notably in his essay on Masaryk and the fact that his death before World War II deprived Czechoslovakia of a vital defender in the face of Hitler's aggression and someone who likely wouldn't have been cowed into surrender the way that his successors were. In these essays, for better and for worse, one can see the way that the author's upbringing in Vienna powerfully affected his political and cultural views, and how scientists and philosophers are not immune to such concerns.
October 27, 2021
حرفاش تا وقتی فلسفی هستند خوبن وقتی میرفته سراغ بحث سیاسی زیاد به در و دیوار میزده خدابیامرز
البته خیلی حرفای مهم داره. نصف خطوط کتاب رو هایلایت کردم!
ترجمه هم خیلی جاهای کتاب خوب نبود واقعا
کتاب مجموعه چند سخنرانی و یه مصاحبه�
البته خیلی حرفای مهم داره. نصف خطوط کتاب رو هایلایت کردم!
ترجمه هم خیلی جاهای کتاب خوب نبود واقعا
کتاب مجموعه چند سخنرانی و یه مصاحبه�
January 3, 2022
کتاب خیلی خوبی باسه آشنایی با این فیلسوف علم هست،از بخش دوم کتاب بیشتر استفاده کردم ،نظراتش در مورد کمونیست،آزادی،دموکراسی ،آموختنی های خوبی داشت،باعث شد کاراشا دنبال کنم،کار ترجمه خوب روان بود،در کل به تفکر وادار میکنه،بطور ضمنی بهت میگه که چیزی نداری و باید همیشه به دنبال یادگیری و بروز رسانی باشی
February 14, 2013
Ο Karl Popper θεωρείται ένας από τους μεγαλύτερους φιλοσόφους του εικοστού αιώνα. Ειδικά σε θέματα επιστημολογίας έχει παίξει καθοριστικό ρόλο στη σύγχρονη επιστήμη, καθώς φώτισε και ενέπνευσε πολλούς επιστήμονες και ανέδειξε τη δουλειά τους.
Στο βιβλίο του «Η ζωή είναι επίλυση προβλημάτων» περιλαμβάνονται δοκίμια, ομιλίες και συνεντεύξεις του διάσημου διανοητή σε θέματα ιστορίας, πολιτικής και βέβαια επιστήμης. Το βιβλίο αποτελεί επιτομή του έργου και των ιδεών του Popper, πάνω σε αυτά τα θέματα, όπως ο ίδιος τα παρουσιάζει στο κοινό του.
Οι θέσεις του για την ιστορία («η Ιστορία τελειώνει σήμερα», φανατικός πολέμιος του ιστορικισμού και του μαρξισμού, από τα νύχια του οποίου σώθηκε πολύ νωρίς), την πολιτική (μαχητής της δημοκρατίας ως «ενός συστήματος που επιτρέπει την αλλαγή της εξουσίας χωρίς αιματοχυσία» και απολογητής της ενισχυμένης αναλογικής) και την επιστήμη (η επιστήμη είναι όπως ολόκληρη η βιολογία: δοκιμή και λάθος) είναι απλά διατυπωμένες (θαυμάζει τον Bertrand Russel) και δομημένες με τη λογική του Kant.
Η έννοια της διαψευσιμότητας που εισήγαγε στην επιστημολογία έχει γίνει σύμβολο, αν και έχει δεχτεί αρκετή κριτική. Ωστόσο, ο θαυμασμός του για τον Einstein (τον αναφέρει σε πάρα πολλά παραδείγματά του) δεν τον αφήνει να δει την ομορφιά της Κβαντομηχανικής. Δηλώνει ότι διαφωνεί με τη θεωρία του Niels Bohr, αλλά όπως φαίνεται -σύμφωνα με τη δική του τεχνική της διαψευσιμότητας- κανείς ως τώρα δεν έχει καταφέρει να την καταρρίψει. Και είναι ίσως το καλύτερο παράδειγμα επιστημονικής μεταφυσικής!
Στη γνωσιοθεωρία προχωράει πέρα από πολλούς διανοητές υποστηρίζοντας την «γενετικά a priori γνώση». Ακόμα και η μεταφυσική του στην επιστήμη τον κάνει να αποκλίνει από τον υποτιθέμενο θετικισμό του Κύκλου της Βιέννης.
Στο μόνο σημείο που διαφωνώ μαζί του είναι οι απόψεις του πάνω στο διαχωρισμό σώματος-ψυχής. Ακόμα και ο ορισμός αυτού του θέματος κάνει αποδεκτό εξ αρχής τον δυισμό αυτό. Δυστυχώς, η σύγχρονη νευροφυσιολογία δεν έχει εντοπίσει ακόμη το «κέντρο» της ψυχής στον εγκέφαλο. Νομίζω πως όλα είναι απλά συνάψεις και νευρομεταβιβαστές. Αλλιώς, πώς δρουν τα ψυχοφάρμακα;
Ο Popper είναι ένας αισιόδοξος λάτρης της σύγχρονης εποχής. Υπέρμαχος του ανθρώπινου πνεύματος και ανθρωπιστής.
Ένα εξαιρετικό βιβλίο που δίνει διεξόδους στη σημερινή δύσκολη εποχή!
Στο βιβλίο του «Η ζωή είναι επίλυση προβλημάτων» περιλαμβάνονται δοκίμια, ομιλίες και συνεντεύξεις του διάσημου διανοητή σε θέματα ιστορίας, πολιτικής και βέβαια επιστήμης. Το βιβλίο αποτελεί επιτομή του έργου και των ιδεών του Popper, πάνω σε αυτά τα θέματα, όπως ο ίδιος τα παρουσιάζει στο κοινό του.
Οι θέσεις του για την ιστορία («η Ιστορία τελειώνει σήμερα», φανατικός πολέμιος του ιστορικισμού και του μαρξισμού, από τα νύχια του οποίου σώθηκε πολύ νωρίς), την πολιτική (μαχητής της δημοκρατίας ως «ενός συστήματος που επιτρέπει την αλλαγή της εξουσίας χωρίς αιματοχυσία» και απολογητής της ενισχυμένης αναλογικής) και την επιστήμη (η επιστήμη είναι όπως ολόκληρη η βιολογία: δοκιμή και λάθος) είναι απλά διατυπωμένες (θαυμάζει τον Bertrand Russel) και δομημένες με τη λογική του Kant.
Η έννοια της διαψευσιμότητας που εισήγαγε στην επιστημολογία έχει γίνει σύμβολο, αν και έχει δεχτεί αρκετή κριτική. Ωστόσο, ο θαυμασμός του για τον Einstein (τον αναφέρει σε πάρα πολλά παραδείγματά του) δεν τον αφήνει να δει την ομορφιά της Κβαντομηχανικής. Δηλώνει ότι διαφωνεί με τη θεωρία του Niels Bohr, αλλά όπως φαίνεται -σύμφωνα με τη δική του τεχνική της διαψευσιμότητας- κανείς ως τώρα δεν έχει καταφέρει να την καταρρίψει. Και είναι ίσως το καλύτερο παράδειγμα επιστημονικής μεταφυσικής!
Στη γνωσιοθεωρία προχωράει πέρα από πολλούς διανοητές υποστηρίζοντας την «γενετικά a priori γνώση». Ακόμα και η μεταφυσική του στην επιστήμη τον κάνει να αποκλίνει από τον υποτιθέμενο θετικισμό του Κύκλου της Βιέννης.
Στο μόνο σημείο που διαφωνώ μαζί του είναι οι απόψεις του πάνω στο διαχωρισμό σώματος-ψυχής. Ακόμα και ο ορισμός αυτού του θέματος κάνει αποδεκτό εξ αρχής τον δυισμό αυτό. Δυστυχώς, η σύγχρονη νευροφυσιολογία δεν έχει εντοπίσει ακόμη το «κέντρο» της ψυχής στον εγκέφαλο. Νομίζω πως όλα είναι απλά συνάψεις και νευρομεταβιβαστές. Αλλιώς, πώς δρουν τα ψυχοφάρμακα;
Ο Popper είναι ένας αισιόδοξος λάτρης της σύγχρονης εποχής. Υπέρμαχος του ανθρώπινου πνεύματος και ανθρωπιστής.
Ένα εξαιρετικό βιβλίο που δίνει διεξόδους στη σημερινή δύσκολη εποχή!
April 30, 2014
الجيد في الكتاب أنه مبسط وتفهم من الجزء الاول منه فلسفة بوبر العلمية بكل وضوح
الجزء الثاني كان عن التاريخ والسياسة ونقد الماركسية وضرورة السلام، مقالات متفرقة تستحق القراءة
الجزء الثاني كان عن التاريخ والسياسة ونقد الماركسية وضرورة السلام، مقالات متفرقة تستحق القراءة
May 26, 2022
BOOK REVIEW:
POPPER, Karl, All Life is Problem Solving
ISBN: 978-0415249928
Read June, 30th-July, 3rd, 2017.
A Collection of Essays on Science, Knowledge, Dialogue and Democracy.
“We can be wrong� is the common fundamental epistemological assumption for the fields both of natural sciences and politics. First published in 1994, this collection of writings by Karl Popper (1902, Vienna, Austria - 1994, London, UK), a giant of 20th century philosophy of science, links both fields around that assumption. Four papers of the first German edition are omitted and replaced with other papers originally written in English. This edition therefore contains 15 chapters grouped in 2 parts. Part 1 has 6 chapters on Natural Science and Part 2, 9 chapters on History and Politics.
Chapter 1, Logic and Evolution of Scientific Theory. No scientific theory begins with observations but with the refutation of previous theories or myths. Thus, in truth the scientific process has 3 stages: rise of a problem (a disturbance of expectations); attempted solutions; and elimination of false solutions.
Chapter 2, The Mind-Body Problem. There are three worlds: world 1 is external and natural; world 2, internal and psychological. But world 3 is cultural and comprises collectively shared elements of the Psychological World 2, including perceptions about Natural World 1.
Chapter 3, The Problem of Peace. A critical attitude is needed to get rid of dogmas and preserve peace.
Chapter 4, Evolutionary Epistemology. Even rudimentary forms of life test hypotheses or assumptions about the exterior environment’s characteristics (e.g. temperature or nutrients). The correction of the assumptions can lead to the survival or death of the microbe; we at least can test hypotheses without dying when we are wrong.
Chapter 5, Towards an Evolutionary Theory of Knowledge. Animals are capable of knowledge, albeit not conscious nor scientific; what distinctly qualifies science is the deliberate testing of hypotheses.
Part 1 closes with Chapter 6, Kepler's method superiority over Copernicus', Galileo's and Newton's, thanks to the Kepler’s larger humility and willingness to be proven wrong in order to be able to learn something new.
Part 2 opens with Chapter 7, Freedom and Education. Debate, and therefore political freedom, are essential for true education, the teaching of critical thought or the attitude where being proven wrong by rational arguments is more important than convincing others. Critical thought was invented by Thales of Miletus, subsequently lost, but rediscovered by Galileo Galilei; it can be destroyed again if political freedom is lost.
Chapter 8, On the Theory of Democracy. Popper’s experience of totalitarianism shifted his interests from natural sciences to democracy. The word’s etymology misleads to questioning who should govern, the government or the people. But everywhere it is governments, not peoples, who rule. The true question is how to get rid of bad governments without bloodshed: through elections, after the British and American model.
Chapter 9, All Life is Problem Solving. Technology and Life itself are forms of learning from mistakes. Science and technology deserve critic but not the outright hostility of the Greens. Opposing legislation addressing pollution on grounds of market freedom is nonsensical, as freedom depends on a State legal order restricting some individual liberties; banning armed groups is better than facing warlords. Technology is blamed for problems which are caused by overpopulation.
Chapter 10, Against the Cynical Interpretation of History. The racist, Marxist and “cynical� views of history lead people to shun responsibility for political decisions and to distrust democracy. To these views� inherent pessimism we must oppose optimism, not towards the future, which we may influence but not predict, nor the past, which we are able to study and judge, but towards the present, which is technologically and morally better than ever, full of enthusiasm for reform and for ethical causes.
Chapter 11, 'Waging wars for peace� is an interview to Der Spiegel. Popper never prophesised the fall of Communism, as prophecies are impossible. Marx� theory of absolute impoverishment was proven wrong; the paramount objective of international politics must be peace even if wars may be necessary to avoid greater violence; hunger is a distributive problem created by immature leaders of poor countries; climate change is a problem of overpopulation which has to be fought by education; the Church must be convinced to compromise on abortion. Jörg Haider is a threat; Mankind could be wiped out by other threats such as microbes. Optimism is a duty; the grim realities are a reason for vigilance.
Chapter 12, The collapse of communism. Liberal democracies and industrialisation were improving life in the West before the First War. Polarisation was brought by the emerging of Communism, which eventually collapse because of the intellectual barrenness of Marxism, founded on a big lie (the historical inevitability of Revolution) and on small lies supported by brutality. It could be countenanced by a five points program: education to strengthen personal freedom; world peace (made necessary by nuclear weapons); free market regulation, to fight poverty; tackling overpopulation through education and birth control; and education for non-violence.
Chapter 13, The necessity of peace, discusses the political activism of Otto Hahn, a scientist, who wrote about the necessity, created by atomic weapons, of world peace; and Fridtjof Nansen, an explorer with deep theoretical knowledge who invented the Nansen passport and organised aid to a starving Soviet Union. The future is open, not fixed in advance, and can only be predicted by chance. Our responsibility is supporting what may lead to a better future.
Chapter 14, Masaryk and the Open Society. Masaryk made Czechoslovakia the most open society Europe had seen, until its destruction by Hitler with the omission of Britain’s and France’s appeasers. It did suffer from ethnic nationalism; suppression of minorities and dialects was pursued by all the largest countries because a homogenous population speaking a single language is useful for industrial collaboration. These horrors must be faced, but we must not fail prey to the cynical view that violence and greed are inevitable. History begins with Solon’s freeing of Athens� slaves; Lincoln and his soldiers fell for freedom. These are not mere exceptions. South Africa was a recent success which we must keep in mind, as well as Masaryk’s example of resistance to Hitler.
Final Chapter 15, How I Became a Philosopher Without Trying. Popper’s early-life decision to teach sciences, his doctorate in the psychology of education; childhood philosophical problems; readings, work method, first book, need to study the concept of science to answer whether Marxism was a science; the influence of the First War, his writings, search for teaching positions, and finally the conclusion he never studied philosophy but spent his life searching the solution of problems often philosophical in nature. Popper encourages youngsters to look for a problem which fascinates them and to which they are ready to devote their life to perfecting solutions through the consciousness of their fallibility.
This book is a good introduction to Popper's thought. Even if sometimes Popper is clearly partisan to his friends and acquaintances, and seems to naïvely put more emphasis on great leaders than on the daily struggles of the multitude, as if scientific geniuses could exist without centuries of experiments, trials and errors by the common people, this series of writings does show the way for the construction of concepts that are essential for an open society � and for peace and, in a world where nuclear weapons can often be forgotten, but still exist, for survival. I do not hesitate in recommending it to anybody, and wonder if it should be one of those mandatory readings in every school.
POPPER, Karl, All Life is Problem Solving
ISBN: 978-0415249928
Read June, 30th-July, 3rd, 2017.
A Collection of Essays on Science, Knowledge, Dialogue and Democracy.
“We can be wrong� is the common fundamental epistemological assumption for the fields both of natural sciences and politics. First published in 1994, this collection of writings by Karl Popper (1902, Vienna, Austria - 1994, London, UK), a giant of 20th century philosophy of science, links both fields around that assumption. Four papers of the first German edition are omitted and replaced with other papers originally written in English. This edition therefore contains 15 chapters grouped in 2 parts. Part 1 has 6 chapters on Natural Science and Part 2, 9 chapters on History and Politics.
Chapter 1, Logic and Evolution of Scientific Theory. No scientific theory begins with observations but with the refutation of previous theories or myths. Thus, in truth the scientific process has 3 stages: rise of a problem (a disturbance of expectations); attempted solutions; and elimination of false solutions.
Chapter 2, The Mind-Body Problem. There are three worlds: world 1 is external and natural; world 2, internal and psychological. But world 3 is cultural and comprises collectively shared elements of the Psychological World 2, including perceptions about Natural World 1.
Chapter 3, The Problem of Peace. A critical attitude is needed to get rid of dogmas and preserve peace.
Chapter 4, Evolutionary Epistemology. Even rudimentary forms of life test hypotheses or assumptions about the exterior environment’s characteristics (e.g. temperature or nutrients). The correction of the assumptions can lead to the survival or death of the microbe; we at least can test hypotheses without dying when we are wrong.
Chapter 5, Towards an Evolutionary Theory of Knowledge. Animals are capable of knowledge, albeit not conscious nor scientific; what distinctly qualifies science is the deliberate testing of hypotheses.
Part 1 closes with Chapter 6, Kepler's method superiority over Copernicus', Galileo's and Newton's, thanks to the Kepler’s larger humility and willingness to be proven wrong in order to be able to learn something new.
Part 2 opens with Chapter 7, Freedom and Education. Debate, and therefore political freedom, are essential for true education, the teaching of critical thought or the attitude where being proven wrong by rational arguments is more important than convincing others. Critical thought was invented by Thales of Miletus, subsequently lost, but rediscovered by Galileo Galilei; it can be destroyed again if political freedom is lost.
Chapter 8, On the Theory of Democracy. Popper’s experience of totalitarianism shifted his interests from natural sciences to democracy. The word’s etymology misleads to questioning who should govern, the government or the people. But everywhere it is governments, not peoples, who rule. The true question is how to get rid of bad governments without bloodshed: through elections, after the British and American model.
Chapter 9, All Life is Problem Solving. Technology and Life itself are forms of learning from mistakes. Science and technology deserve critic but not the outright hostility of the Greens. Opposing legislation addressing pollution on grounds of market freedom is nonsensical, as freedom depends on a State legal order restricting some individual liberties; banning armed groups is better than facing warlords. Technology is blamed for problems which are caused by overpopulation.
Chapter 10, Against the Cynical Interpretation of History. The racist, Marxist and “cynical� views of history lead people to shun responsibility for political decisions and to distrust democracy. To these views� inherent pessimism we must oppose optimism, not towards the future, which we may influence but not predict, nor the past, which we are able to study and judge, but towards the present, which is technologically and morally better than ever, full of enthusiasm for reform and for ethical causes.
Chapter 11, 'Waging wars for peace� is an interview to Der Spiegel. Popper never prophesised the fall of Communism, as prophecies are impossible. Marx� theory of absolute impoverishment was proven wrong; the paramount objective of international politics must be peace even if wars may be necessary to avoid greater violence; hunger is a distributive problem created by immature leaders of poor countries; climate change is a problem of overpopulation which has to be fought by education; the Church must be convinced to compromise on abortion. Jörg Haider is a threat; Mankind could be wiped out by other threats such as microbes. Optimism is a duty; the grim realities are a reason for vigilance.
Chapter 12, The collapse of communism. Liberal democracies and industrialisation were improving life in the West before the First War. Polarisation was brought by the emerging of Communism, which eventually collapse because of the intellectual barrenness of Marxism, founded on a big lie (the historical inevitability of Revolution) and on small lies supported by brutality. It could be countenanced by a five points program: education to strengthen personal freedom; world peace (made necessary by nuclear weapons); free market regulation, to fight poverty; tackling overpopulation through education and birth control; and education for non-violence.
Chapter 13, The necessity of peace, discusses the political activism of Otto Hahn, a scientist, who wrote about the necessity, created by atomic weapons, of world peace; and Fridtjof Nansen, an explorer with deep theoretical knowledge who invented the Nansen passport and organised aid to a starving Soviet Union. The future is open, not fixed in advance, and can only be predicted by chance. Our responsibility is supporting what may lead to a better future.
Chapter 14, Masaryk and the Open Society. Masaryk made Czechoslovakia the most open society Europe had seen, until its destruction by Hitler with the omission of Britain’s and France’s appeasers. It did suffer from ethnic nationalism; suppression of minorities and dialects was pursued by all the largest countries because a homogenous population speaking a single language is useful for industrial collaboration. These horrors must be faced, but we must not fail prey to the cynical view that violence and greed are inevitable. History begins with Solon’s freeing of Athens� slaves; Lincoln and his soldiers fell for freedom. These are not mere exceptions. South Africa was a recent success which we must keep in mind, as well as Masaryk’s example of resistance to Hitler.
Final Chapter 15, How I Became a Philosopher Without Trying. Popper’s early-life decision to teach sciences, his doctorate in the psychology of education; childhood philosophical problems; readings, work method, first book, need to study the concept of science to answer whether Marxism was a science; the influence of the First War, his writings, search for teaching positions, and finally the conclusion he never studied philosophy but spent his life searching the solution of problems often philosophical in nature. Popper encourages youngsters to look for a problem which fascinates them and to which they are ready to devote their life to perfecting solutions through the consciousness of their fallibility.
This book is a good introduction to Popper's thought. Even if sometimes Popper is clearly partisan to his friends and acquaintances, and seems to naïvely put more emphasis on great leaders than on the daily struggles of the multitude, as if scientific geniuses could exist without centuries of experiments, trials and errors by the common people, this series of writings does show the way for the construction of concepts that are essential for an open society � and for peace and, in a world where nuclear weapons can often be forgotten, but still exist, for survival. I do not hesitate in recommending it to anybody, and wonder if it should be one of those mandatory readings in every school.
February 1, 2025
Some essays, lectures and interviews from the later years of Popper’s life, on science, experts, knowledge, peace, freedom, politics and his own life.
“Of course I know that there are also many bad things in our world and yet it is the best that has ever existed since the beginning of history. When I make this statement, those who hear me usually treat me as if I were senile. Maybe it's true, but in the debate that will follow I am prepared to defend myself against anyone and argue that the widespread complaints against the perfidious world in which we live - what we can call the dominant religion of our time - are in contradiction with all the facts. My main thesis is that not only are we better from an economic point of view but we are better from a moral point of view. I am willing, however, to admit one thing: we are more stupid than ever and without a critical spirit in the face of everything we consider modern.�
“There is a lot of truth in much of our knowledge, but little certainty. /We must approach our hypotheses in a critical way, we must test them as rigorously as possible to find out if they do not prove to be false after all.�
“The truth is objective: it is correspondence to the facts.�
“Certainty is rarely objective: it is usually nothing more than a strong feeling of trust, of conviction, although based on insufficient knowledge. Such feelings are dangerous, since they are rarely well-founded. Strong feelings of conviction make them dogmatic. They can even turn us into hysterical fanatics who try to convince themselves of a certainty that they unconsciously know is not available.�
“[the true rationalist] prefers to provoke contradiction, preferably in the form of rational and disciplined criticism. He does not seek to convince but to awaken - to challenge others to form free opinions.�
“Of course I know that there are also many bad things in our world and yet it is the best that has ever existed since the beginning of history. When I make this statement, those who hear me usually treat me as if I were senile. Maybe it's true, but in the debate that will follow I am prepared to defend myself against anyone and argue that the widespread complaints against the perfidious world in which we live - what we can call the dominant religion of our time - are in contradiction with all the facts. My main thesis is that not only are we better from an economic point of view but we are better from a moral point of view. I am willing, however, to admit one thing: we are more stupid than ever and without a critical spirit in the face of everything we consider modern.�
“There is a lot of truth in much of our knowledge, but little certainty. /We must approach our hypotheses in a critical way, we must test them as rigorously as possible to find out if they do not prove to be false after all.�
“The truth is objective: it is correspondence to the facts.�
“Certainty is rarely objective: it is usually nothing more than a strong feeling of trust, of conviction, although based on insufficient knowledge. Such feelings are dangerous, since they are rarely well-founded. Strong feelings of conviction make them dogmatic. They can even turn us into hysterical fanatics who try to convince themselves of a certainty that they unconsciously know is not available.�
“[the true rationalist] prefers to provoke contradiction, preferably in the form of rational and disciplined criticism. He does not seek to convince but to awaken - to challenge others to form free opinions.�
October 29, 2018
Askerde okuduğum kitaplar - 4
Bu üstadı Celal Şengörden merak sarmıştım. Bir hayranı olarak doktora yapıyorken bir sömestırda Karl Popper in tüm kitaplarını alıp hepsini okuyan Clel Şengörün anısını biliriz. Daha sonra kendisini aradığını konuştuğunu filan da anlatır. Bu güzel isimli kitabını ben de görünce ilgimi çekti alıp okuyayım demiştim. Şahsen felsefe kitaplarını okumakta çok zorlanıyorum, eksigim bu konuda tekrar tekrar okumam gerekiyor yine de tam anlayamiyorum bazen Turkce cevirilerde de mi bir problem var anlamadim. Ama kendini Usçu ve Aydınlatıcı olarak tanımlaması hoşuma gitti ben de kendimde bu iki unsuur daha bilinçli halde uygulamayı düşünüyorum. Usçu olmak her zaman hatalı olabileceğini kabul edip hatanı bulunca da yeni doğru bulmuş kadar gocunmadan sevinmek ve hep yoluna devam etmeyi, aydinlatici olmak da yetkin oldugun konularda agdali kimsenin anlayamayacagi sekilde burnu buyuk degil de olabildiğince açık ve kolay eleştirilebilir şekilde fikrini beyan etmek anlamına geliyor. Politika ve demokrasi üzerine yorumları ve iyimser yaklaşımları okunması gerekiyor öneriyorum.
Bu üstadı Celal Şengörden merak sarmıştım. Bir hayranı olarak doktora yapıyorken bir sömestırda Karl Popper in tüm kitaplarını alıp hepsini okuyan Clel Şengörün anısını biliriz. Daha sonra kendisini aradığını konuştuğunu filan da anlatır. Bu güzel isimli kitabını ben de görünce ilgimi çekti alıp okuyayım demiştim. Şahsen felsefe kitaplarını okumakta çok zorlanıyorum, eksigim bu konuda tekrar tekrar okumam gerekiyor yine de tam anlayamiyorum bazen Turkce cevirilerde de mi bir problem var anlamadim. Ama kendini Usçu ve Aydınlatıcı olarak tanımlaması hoşuma gitti ben de kendimde bu iki unsuur daha bilinçli halde uygulamayı düşünüyorum. Usçu olmak her zaman hatalı olabileceğini kabul edip hatanı bulunca da yeni doğru bulmuş kadar gocunmadan sevinmek ve hep yoluna devam etmeyi, aydinlatici olmak da yetkin oldugun konularda agdali kimsenin anlayamayacagi sekilde burnu buyuk degil de olabildiğince açık ve kolay eleştirilebilir şekilde fikrini beyan etmek anlamına geliyor. Politika ve demokrasi üzerine yorumları ve iyimser yaklaşımları okunması gerekiyor öneriyorum.
January 12, 2022
When I speak of reason or rationalism, all I mean is the conviction that we can learn through criticism of our mistakes and errors, especially through criticism by others, and eventually also through self-criticism. A rationalist is simply someone for whom it is more important to learn than to be proved right; someone who is willing to learn from others � not by simply taking over another's opinions, but by gladly allowing others to criticize his ideas and by gladly criticizing the ideas of others. The emphasis here is on the idea of criticism or, to be more precise, critical discussion. The genuine rationalist does not think that he or anyone else is in possession of the truth; nor does he think that mere criticism as such helps us achieve new ideas. But he does think that, in the sphere of ideas, only critical discussion can help us sort the wheat from the chaff. He is well aware that acceptance or rejection of an idea is never a purely rational matter; but he thinks that only critical discussion can give us the maturity to see an idea from more and more sides and to make a correct judgement of it.
April 5, 2021
Başlığı ile içeriğini bu kadar güzel özetleyen başka bir kitap var mıdır bilmiyorum. Karl Popper'in farklı zamanlarındaki derslerinden, konuşmalarından ve röportajlarından toparlanmış bir kitap. Hayat problem çözmektir cümlesi kitabı oluşturan iki bölümün de ana fikrini oluşturuyor. Birinci bölümde doğa hakkındaki bilginin sorunları bölümünde doğanın işleyişi ile bilimin işleyişi üzerine bir analoji yazıyor Popper. Bütün canlılar problem çözerek hayatta kalırlar, bütün bilimsel kuramlar da öyle.
İkinci bölüm dünyanın gidişatı ile ilgili. Tarihe dar ideolojik pencereden bakan Marksist tarihe bir eleştiri kaçınılmaz oluyor mevzu bahis Popper olunca, Popper de neredeyse bütün hayatı boyunca yaptığı gibi bir Marksizm eleştirisi sunmuş. Aynı zamanda olguları belli kılıflara uydurmaya çalışan tüm ideolojilere de bir savaş açmış gözüküyor. Haksız da değil. Felsefe kadar tarihi yorumlarken de basit, iyimser ve tabi ki gerçekçi olmalıyız.
İkinci bölüm dünyanın gidişatı ile ilgili. Tarihe dar ideolojik pencereden bakan Marksist tarihe bir eleştiri kaçınılmaz oluyor mevzu bahis Popper olunca, Popper de neredeyse bütün hayatı boyunca yaptığı gibi bir Marksizm eleştirisi sunmuş. Aynı zamanda olguları belli kılıflara uydurmaya çalışan tüm ideolojilere de bir savaş açmış gözüküyor. Haksız da değil. Felsefe kadar tarihi yorumlarken de basit, iyimser ve tabi ki gerçekçi olmalıyız.
January 24, 2022
The book has two parts. Part-1 titled ‘questions of natural science� is more aligned with the title of the book which is what got me to start reading this book. Part-2 ‘thoughts on history and politics� was a surprise.
Part-2 although is great too but I felt it was less illuminating that part-1.
I read this book to get started and get a taste of Popper’s ideas and it helped that this book is basically the collection of essays/speeches that the author wrote over the course of his lifetime. There isn’t any central theme to the book, The title comes from just one essay for the reason I can completely understand. Few essays I loved:
1-“Towards an Evolutionary Theory of Knowledge�
2-“The Logic and Evolution of Scientific Theory�
3-“On freedom�
After reading this introductory book,I know I will be reading the other and well-known work by Sir Karl Popper.
Part-2 although is great too but I felt it was less illuminating that part-1.
I read this book to get started and get a taste of Popper’s ideas and it helped that this book is basically the collection of essays/speeches that the author wrote over the course of his lifetime. There isn’t any central theme to the book, The title comes from just one essay for the reason I can completely understand. Few essays I loved:
1-“Towards an Evolutionary Theory of Knowledge�
2-“The Logic and Evolution of Scientific Theory�
3-“On freedom�
After reading this introductory book,I know I will be reading the other and well-known work by Sir Karl Popper.
August 22, 2023
An incredible book in which Karl Popper explains with the same concept “all life is problem solving� the problems which occurred by evolutionism and the polarisation between right-left politic, he has obviously manifested that science doesn’t has to be true but ought to have a bit of trueness since we can never know something 100% for certain, although I found his own stories besides communism a bit less interesting, In general this book is focused on changing your view on several topics including, science, politics, evolutionism, moralism, behaviourism, ethics and more
I think the most important lesson I obtained from this book is:
That a scientist always should look out to be falsified by his own theories this could be by his own hand or by someone else’s, there is no truth but mere a certainty, that is how Karl popper explained the difference between Einstein and Amoeba
I think the most important lesson I obtained from this book is:
That a scientist always should look out to be falsified by his own theories this could be by his own hand or by someone else’s, there is no truth but mere a certainty, that is how Karl popper explained the difference between Einstein and Amoeba
November 23, 2023
Fikir dünyama bu kadar yakın olmasını beklemiyordum. Popper’in okuduğum ilk kitabı, diğerlerini de en kısa zamanda okuyacağım. Kitap altı çizilip üzerinde düşünülmesi gereken paragraflarla dolu.
“Seçim günleri� ile alakalı şu paragraf çok hoşuma gitti:
“Atina demokrasisinin bir halk hâkimiyeti olmadığını ve halk hâkimiyeti diye bir şey olamayacağını Perikles de gayet iyi biliyormuş gibi görünmektedir. Çünkü Thukydides'te okuyabildiğimiz o büyük konuşmasında şunları söyler: ‘Her ne kadar pek azımız bir politika üretme ve uygulama durumundaysa da, hepimiz o politikayı yargılama durumundayız.� Bu da demektir ki: Hepimiz yönetip kumanda edemeyiz, ama hepimiz hükümeti mahkemeye çıkarıp jüri üyesi olabiliriz.
Işte bence bir seçim günü tam olarak böyle olmalıdır. Yeni hükümeti meşrulaştıran bir gün değil, eski hükümeti mahkemeye çıkardığımız gün. Hükümetin hesap vermesi gereken gün.�
“Seçim günleri� ile alakalı şu paragraf çok hoşuma gitti:
“Atina demokrasisinin bir halk hâkimiyeti olmadığını ve halk hâkimiyeti diye bir şey olamayacağını Perikles de gayet iyi biliyormuş gibi görünmektedir. Çünkü Thukydides'te okuyabildiğimiz o büyük konuşmasında şunları söyler: ‘Her ne kadar pek azımız bir politika üretme ve uygulama durumundaysa da, hepimiz o politikayı yargılama durumundayız.� Bu da demektir ki: Hepimiz yönetip kumanda edemeyiz, ama hepimiz hükümeti mahkemeye çıkarıp jüri üyesi olabiliriz.
Işte bence bir seçim günü tam olarak böyle olmalıdır. Yeni hükümeti meşrulaştıran bir gün değil, eski hükümeti mahkemeye çıkardığımız gün. Hükümetin hesap vermesi gereken gün.�
October 11, 2024
Popular and short essays from the period when Popper was rather old and looking back at his work. Good only as an introduction for someone not familiar with his main books and also to notice his wide interests and some implications of his philosophy. For me, the best part of this book was the association between his critical rationalism and falsification with the Darwinian theory of selection � as the first few essays argue. Of course, in Popper's opinion it was rather Darwin anticipating his more universal and philosophical ideas and not the other way around. Also it is strange to see how egocentric and anti-democratic Popper was in his philosophical dislikes (for example the essay “Waging wars for peace�), in keeping personal grudges, and in continuously denouncing old enemies who failed one way or another.
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July 26, 2023"Σύμφωνα με την επιστήμη, το σύμπαν είναι σχεδόν κενό από ύλη και γεμάτο, κατά κύριο λόγο, με χαώδεις ακτινοβολίες. Στα λίγα σημεία, που δεν είναι κενό, πληρούται από χαώδη ύλη, συνήθως πολύ θερμή για το σχηματισμό μορίων, ή πολύ κρύα για την ανάπτυξη οποιουδήποτε είδους ζωής, όπως αυτά που γνωρίζουμε. Ακόμα κι αν υπάρχει κάπου στο σύμπαν ίχνος ζωής, αυτή είναι σε κάθε περίπτωση, από κοσμολογική άποψη, ένα εξαιρετικά σπάνιο και εντελώς ασυνήθιστο φαινόμενο. Και στην εξέλιξη της ζωής, η ανάπτυξη της κριτικής, επιστημονικής μεθόδου είναι κάτι εξίσου σπάνιο, με βάση τη θεωρία των πιθανοτήτων κάτι σχεδόν απείρως απίθανο. Αυτό σημαίνει πως μας έχει κληρώσει το λαχείο, αφού υπάρχει ζωή και επιστήμη."
Η ζωή είναι επίλυση προβλημάτων, Κarl Popper
Η ζωή είναι επίλυση προβλημάτων, Κarl Popper
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May 27, 2025من طبعاً طرفدار دموکراسی هستم... ما راهی بهتر از این نداریم که به تصمیمات اکثریت گردن بگذاریم... این کارِ خطا و بسیار خطرناکی است که آزادی را با گفتن این حرف به مردم ستایش کنیم که آن‌ه� در صورت آزادی شرایط خوبی خواهند داشت. این‌ک� شخص چگونه از عهدۀ زندگی برآید تا اندازۀ زیادی به شانس و اقبال بستگی دارد و تا حدّ نسبتاً کمی هم به لیاقت، پشتکار و دیگر فضایل وی مربوط است... ما باید آزادی سیاسی را انتخاب کنیم، نه به خاطر امید به زندگی آسان‌تر� بلکه به این دلیل که آزادی خود یک غایت است (پوپر، ۱۳۹۰: ۳-۴-۱۵۵).
منبع:
_ پوپر، کارل، ۱۳۹۰، زندگی سراسر حل مسئله است، ترجمه شهریار خواجیان، تهران، مرکز.
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