New Releases by Karl Raimund Popper

Was unterscheidet wissenschaftliche Hypothesen von pseudowissenschaftlichen Theorien? Und wie geht die wissenschaftliche Forschung vor? Kaum jemand hat die philosophische Diskussion über diese Fragen so stark geprägt wie Popper. Im vorliegenden klassischen Aufsatz fasst er die Entwicklung seiner Beiträge zur Wissenschaftsphilosophie zusammen. Der Band enthält den Text im englischen Original und in der deutschen, von Popper durchgesehenen Standard-Übersetzung sowie einen ausführlichen Kommentar, der den Argumentationsgang und die Wirkung des Textes bis heute nachzeichnet. Die Reihe »Great Papers Philosophie« bietet bahnbrechende Aufsätze der Philosophie: - Eine zeichengenaue, zitierfähige Wiedergabe des Textes (links das fremdsprachige Original, rechts eine neue Übersetzung). - Eine philosophiegeschichtliche Einordnung: Wie dachte man früher über das Problem? Welche Veränderung bewirkte der Aufsatz? Wie denkt man heute darüber? - Eine Analyse des Textes bzw. eine Rekonstruktion seiner Argumentationsstruktur, gefolgt von einem Abschnitt über den Autor sowie ein kommentiertes Literaturverzeichnis. E-Book mit Seitenzählung der Originalpaginierung.

With a new foreword by Scott Austin ''I hope that these essays may illustrate the thesis that all history is or should be the history of problem situations, and that in following this principle we may further our understanding of the Presocratics and other thinkers of the past. The essays also try to show the greatness of the early Greek philosophers, who gave Europe its philosophy, its science, and its humanism.'' - Karl Popper, from the preface The World of Parmenides is a brilliant exploration of the complexity of ancient Greek thought and science by one of the twentieth century''s leading philosophers. It reveals the great importance of Presocratic philosophy to Popper''s thought as a whole and shows the profound enlightenment he experienced reading not only Parmenides but the wider world of Greek science and philosophy including Xenophanes and Heraclitus. Edited by Arne F. Petersen, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen.

''If in this book harsh words are spoken about some of the greatest among the intellectual leaders of mankind, my motive is not, I hope, to belittle them. It springs rather from my conviction that, if our civilization is to survive, we must break with the habit of deference to great men.'' - Karl Popper, from the Preface Written in political exile during the Second World War and first published in two volumes in 1945, Karl Popper''s The Open Society and Its Enemies is one of the most influential books of all time. Hailed by Bertrand Russell as a ''vigorous and profound defence of democracy'', its now legendary attack on the philosophies of Plato, Hegel and Marx exposed the dangers inherent in centrally planned political systems and through underground editions become an inspiration to lovers of freedom living under communism in Eastern Europe. Popper''s highly accessible style, his erudite and lucid explanations of the thoughts of great philosophers and the recent resurgence of totalitarian regimes around the world are just three of the reasons for the enduring popularity of The Open Society and Its Enemies and why it demands to be read today and in years to come.

A brilliant account of the life of one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Popper also explains some of the central ideas in his work, making this ideal reading for anyone coming to his life and work for the first time.

Conjectures and Refutations is one of Karl Popper''s most wide-ranging and popular works, notable not only for its acute insight into the way scientific knowledge grows, but also for applying those insights to politics and to history. It provides one of the clearest and most accessible statements of the fundamental idea that guided his work: not only our knowledge, but our aims and our standards, grow through an unending process of trial and error.

Hailed on publication in 1957 as ''probably the only book published this year that will outlive the century'', this is a devastating criticism of the idea that there are fixed laws in history and that human beings are able to predict them.On its publication in 1957, The Poverty of Historicism was hailed by Arthur Koestler as ''probably the only book published this year which will outlive the century.''A devastating criticism of fixed and predictable laws in history, Popper dedicated the book to all those ''who fell victim to the fascist and communist belief in Inexorable Laws of Historical Destiny.'' Short and beautifully written, it has inspired generations of readers, intellectuals and policy makers. One of the most important books on the social sciences since the Second World War, it is a searing insight into the ideas of this great thinker.

First Published in 1977. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Popper warns us against the increasing violence and egoism of our society, which imperil democracy. Popper believed that the philosopher has a duty to intervene in politics and in The Lesson of This Century he utters a clear call to all of us to recognize our responsibilities. We are asked to find solutions to the problems facing our environment, are called upon to prevent violence engendered by our society, and are encouraged to preserve our democratic system while paving the way for global peace.

This selection of Popper''s writings on his main preoccupations towards the end of his life, illuminates his process of working on his theory of science, and indicates his view of the state of the world at the end of the Cold War.

Actes Sud a publié en 1997 la première partie de Toute vie est résolution de problèmes, comportant six conférences relatives aux sciences. Voici la deuxième partie du recueil, dont Popper avait, peu avant sa disparition, préparé l''édition ; elle compte dix conférences qui évoquent des questions d''histoire, de politique et d''éthique. Le lecteur découvrira aisément l''analogie entre le principe de falsifiabilité, à l''oeuvre dans les démarches cognitives, et la définition retenue par Popper pour la démocratie : non pas le gouvernement du peuple, mais le régime politique qui autorise la déposition sans effusion de sang des gouvernants sanctionnés. Il retrouvera plusieurs thèmes récurrents de la pensée poppérienne : son opposition déclarée à Hegel et au romantisme, l''éloge des Lumières, la méfiance des mots qui font les intellectuels se perdre en vaines querelles - ou encore, et pour citer l''auteur, " la lutte contre l''interprétation marxiste de l''histoire " et contre toute forme d''historicisme. L''avenir ne saurait être objet de prédiction ; il n''est, pour l''optimiste décidé qui, toutefois, en appelle à la responsabilité de chacun, que la porte ouverte à l''espoir.

Voici un livre de philosophie à la fois classique et déconcertant. On y traite de la liberté et du déterminisme à l''aide de nuages et de bulles de savon. On y construit une théorie du langage à l''aide de miel et de toiles d''araignées. Fort de cinquante ans de discussions avec physiciens, biologistes et logiciens, Popper renouvelle l''approche des questions les plus traditionnelles de la philosophie avec pour fil conducteur le progrès de la science, replacé dans le cadre plus général d''une philosophie de l''émergence du nouveau. Rassemblant des textes rédigés pour la plupart entre 1965 et 1971, La connaissance objective est l''ouvrage le plus représentatif de la "dernière manière" de Popper. Il y révèle toutes les implications métaphysiques de son rationalisme critique et s''y risque à des conjectures audacieuses. Indispensable pour connaître les inflexions que prend alors la pensée de Popper, ce livre l''est aussi pour comprendre les débats de l''épistémologie contemporaine.

A collection of essays that offers striking new insight into the mind of one of the greatest living philosophers. Popper''s subjects range from the beginnings of scientific speculation in Greece to the role of science in the arts.

First published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

En el presente volumen, Karl Popper examina varias cuestiones relativas al desarrollo del conocimiento, a la historia de la ciencia y a la filosofia de la ciencia, vistas a traves de la moderna metodologia, pero tambien se ocupa de problemas de politica y sociologia, siempre aplicando sus peculiares procedimientos semanticos, logicos y gnoseologicos. Los ensayos y conferencias que componen el texto son variaciones de un mismo tema: la tesis de que podemos aprender de nuestros errores. Se trata de una teoria acerca del conocimiento y de su desarrollo, una teoria de la razon y una teoria de la experiencia que no se resigna al escepticismo y afirma que la ciencia puede progresar. El conocimiento cientifico avanza a traves de anticipaciones injustificadas, de presunciones, de soluciones tentativas para nuestros problemas a las que llamamos conjeturas, que, a su vez, son controladas por la critica, esto es, por intentos de refutaciones, entre las que se cuentan tests severamente criticos. La critica de nuestras conjeturas es de importancia decisiva: al poner de manifiesto nuestros errores, nos hace comprender las dificultades del problema que estamos tratando de resolver. De este modo llegamos a adquirir un conocimiento mas profundo del problema y a estar en condiciones de proponer soluciones mas maduras: la misma refutacion de una teoria es siempre un paso adelante que nos acerca a la verdad.

Realism and the Aim of Science is one of the three volumes of Karl Popper''s Postscript to the Logic of scientific Discovery. The Postscript is the culmination of Popper''s work in the philosophy of physics and a new famous attack on subjectivist approaches to philosophy of science. Realism and the Aim of Science is the first volume of the Postcript. Popper here formulates and explains his non-justificationist theory of knowledge: science aims at true explanatory theories, yet it can never prove, or justify, any theory to be true, not even if is a true theory. Science must continue to question and criticise all its theories, even those that happen to be true. Realism and the Aim of Science presents Popper''s mature statement on scientific knowledge and offers important insights into his thinking on problems of method within science.

Described by the philosopher A.J. Ayer as a work of ''great originality and power'', this book revolutionized contemporary thinking on science and knowledge. Ideas such as the now legendary doctrine of ''falsificationism'' electrified the scientific community, influencing even working scientists, as well as post-war philosophy. This astonishing work ranks alongside The Open Society and Its Enemies as one of Popper''s most enduring books and contains insights and arguments that demand to be read to this day.

These excerpts from the writings of Sir Karl Popper are an outstanding introduction to one of the most controversial of living philosophers, known especially for his devastating criticisms of Plato and Marx and for his uncompromising rejection of inductive reasoning. David Miller, a leading expositor and critic of Popper''s work, has chosen thirty selections that illustrate the profundity and originality of his ideas and their applicability to current intellectual and social problems. Miller''s introduction demonstrates the remarkable unity of Popper''s thought and briefly describes his philosophy of critical rationalism, a philosophy that is distinctive in its emphasis on the way in which we learn through the making and correcting of mistakes. Popper has relentlessly challenged both the authority and the appeal to authority of the most fashionable philosophies of our time. This book of selections from his nontechnical writings on the theory of knowledge, the philosophy of science, metaphysics, and social philosophy is imbued with his emphasis on the role and by reason in exposing and eliminating the errors among them.