In Search of a Better World: Lectures and Essays from Thirty Years
Author(s): Karl Popper (Author)
Publisher: Routledge
Publication Date: 16 Aug. 2016
Edition: 1st
Language: English
Print length: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 113817498X
ISBN-13: 9781138174986
Book Description
‘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.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘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
From the Back Cover
In the course of a life of ninety years Sir Karl can look back on positive changes in the world – the vast reductions in mass poverty, the liberalization of penal systems, the defeat of dictatorships. The search for a better world is never complete, but in spite of two world wars and a long and dangerous cold war, it was not in vain. The essays and lectures collected in this book chart many familiar as well as some less known aspects of Sir Karl’s thinking – from his interest in the birth of scientific speculation in classical Greece to the destructive effects on the intellect of totalitarianism in twentieth-century states. His discussions range over problems of politics, the history of philosophy and great figures of the Enlightenment such as Voltaire and Kant, and the relation of science and art (in an address given at the 1979 Salzburg festival). The book offers important new insights into the thought of one of the greatest of living philosophers, and into the role of science in our civilization.
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