Karl Popper Quotes - Page 6

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• The growth of our knowledge is the result of a process closely resembling what Darwin called 'natural selection'; that is, the natural selection of hypotheses: our knowledge consists, at every moment, of those hypotheses which have shown their (comparative) fitness by surviving so far in their struggle for existence, a competitive struggle which eliminates those hypotheses which are unfit.

  Karl Popper

  Struggle, Knowledge, Science

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• Science may be described as the art of systematic over-simplification.

  Karl Popper

  Funny, Art, Crazy

  1982 Quoted in the Observer,1Aug.

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• My thesis is that what we call 'science' is differentiated from the older myths not by being something distinct from a myth, but by being accompanied by a second-order tradition-that of critically discussing the myth. ... In a certain sense, science is myth-making just as religion is.

  Karl Popper

  Order, Criticism, Tradition

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• The moral decisions of others should be treated with respect, as long as such decisions do not conflict with the principle of tolerance.

  Karl Popper

  Long, Decision, Tolerance

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• The fundamental thing about human languages is that they can and should be used to describe something; and this something is, somehow, the world. To be constantly and almost exclusively interested in the medium - in spectacle-cleaning - is a result of a philosophical mistake.

  Karl Popper

  Mistake, Philosophical, Fundamentals

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• It is a myth that the success of science in our time is mainly due to the huge amounts of money that have been spent on big machines. What really makes science grow is new ideas, including false ideas.

  Karl Popper

  Science, Ideas, Growth

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• I do not overlook the fact that there are irrationalists who love mankind, and that not all forms of irrationalism engender criminality. But I hold that he who teaches that not reason but love should rule opens up the way for those who rule by hate. (Socrates, I believe, saw something of this when he suggested that mistrust or hatred of argument is related to mistrust or hatred of man).

  Karl Popper

  Hate, Believe, Men

  "The Open Society and Its Enemies". Book by Karl Popper. Volume 2, Chapter 24: "Oracular Philosophy and the Revolt against Reason", 1945.

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• There is no history of mankind, there is only an indefinite number of histories of all kinds of aspects of human life.

  Karl Popper

  Numbers, History, Kind

  Karl Popper (2005). “The Open Society and Its Enemies: Hegel and Marx”, p.299, Routledge

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• Understanding a theory has, indeed, much in common with understanding a human personality. We may know or understand a man's system of dispositions pretty well; that is to say, we may be able to predict how he would act in a number of different situations. But since there are infinitely many possible situations, of infinite variety, a full understanding of a man's dispositions does not seem to be possible.

  Karl Popper

  Science, Men, Numbers

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• The old scientific ideal of episteme - of absolutely certain, demonstrable knowledge - has proved to be an idol. The demand for scientific objectivity makes it inevitable that every scientific statement must remain tentative for ever.

  Karl Popper

  Science, Objectivity, Idols

  Karl Popper (2005). “The Logic of Scientific Discovery”, p.280, Routledge

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• There can be no ultimate statements science: there can be no statements in science which can not be tested, and therefore none which cannot in principle be refuted, by falsifying some of the conclusions which can be deduced from them.

  Karl Popper

  Science, Principles, Conclusion

  Karl Popper (2005). “The Logic of Scientific Discovery”, p.25, Routledge

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• It is often asserted that discussion is only possible between people who have a common language and accept common basic assumptions. I think that this is a mistake. All that is needed is a readiness to learn from one's partner in the discussion, which includes a genuine wish to understand what he intends to say. If this readiness is there, the discussion wrighteous stupidityill be the more fruitful the more the partner's backgrounds differ.

  Karl Popper

  Mistake, Learning, Knowledge

  Karl Popper (2012). “In Search of a Better World: Lectures and Essays from Thirty Years”, p.158, Routledge

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• The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error.

  Karl Popper

  Inspirational, Dream, Errors

  1960 Conjectures and Refutations (published1963), ch.10.

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• Better our hypotheses die for our errors than ourselves.

  Karl Popper

  Errors, Hypothesis, Rationality

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• It must be possible for an empirical system to be refuted by experience.

  Karl Popper

  Experience

  'The Logic of Scientific Discovery' (1934) ch. 1, sect. 6

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• Some scientists find, or so it seems, that they get their best ideas when smoking; others by drinking coffee or whisky. Thus there is no reason why I should not admit that some may get their ideas by observing, or by repeating observations.

  Karl Popper

  Drinking, Coffee, Science

  Karl Popper, W.W. Bartley, III (2013). “Realism and the Aim of Science: From the Postscript to The Logic of Scientific Discovery”, p.36, Routledge

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• I am opposed to looking upon logic as a kind of game. ... One might think that it is a matter of choice or convention which logic one adopts. I disagree with this view.

  Karl Popper

  Science, Thinking, Views

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• Criticism of my alleged views was widespread and highly successful. I have yet to meet a criticism of my views.

  Karl Popper

  Successful, Criticism

  Source: www.guernicamag.com

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• It is the rule which says that the other rules of scientific procedure must be designed in such a way that they do not protect any statement in science against falsification.

  Karl Popper

  Science, Scientific Method, Way

  Karl Popper (2005). “The Logic of Scientific Discovery”, p.33, Routledge

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• The method of science depends on our attempts to describe the world with simple theories: theories that are complex may become untestable, even if they happen to be true. Science may be described as the art of systematic over-simplification-the art of discerning what we may with advantage omit.

  Karl Popper

  Art, Science, Simple

  Karl Popper (2012). “The Open Universe: An Argument for Indeterminism From the Postscript to The Logic of Scientific Discovery”, p.44, Routledge

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• [To] interpret Parmenides as a Kant before Kant ... this is exactly what we must do.

  Karl Popper

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• Piecemeal social engineering resembles physical engineering in regarding the ends as beyond the province of technology.

  Karl Popper

  Technology, Engineering, Social

  Poverty of Historicism (1957) pt. 3, sect. 21

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• Science is the century-old endeavour to bring together by means of systematic thought the perceptible phenomena of this world into as thorough-going an association as possible. To put it boldly, it is the attempt at a posterior reconstruction of existence by the process of conceptualization. Science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgements of all kinds remain necessary.

  Karl Popper

  Mean, Science, Judgement

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• Serious rational criticism is so rare that it should be encouraged. Being too ready to defend oneself is more dangerous than being too ready to admit a mistake.

  Karl Popper

  Mistake, Criticism, Serious

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• Plato felt that a complete reconstruction of society's political program was needed.

  Karl Popper

  Plato, Political, Program

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