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The Birth and Death of Popper
Karl Popper was one of the most brilliant minds we know, he helped shape modern science and practices still used today. Popper was born on July 28th, 1902 in Vienna, Austria. Popper later passed away on September 17th, 1994 in Kenley, United Kingdom. -
The Start of University
In 1918, Popper started attending lectures he found interesting at the University of Vienna. Popper didn't officially start attending until years later. Around 1918 and 1919 Popper discovered Einstein's ideas on relativity which he became obsessed with. Popper was also studying the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Adler. -
First Publication
In 1945, Popper publishes his first book titled "The Open Society and Its Enemies." This work offers a critique of theories of teleological historicism, according to which history unfolds inexorably according to universal laws. Popper indicts Plato, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Karl Marx as totalitarian for relying on historicism to underpin their political philosophies. -
Moving to England
In 1946, Popper takes a job at the London School of Economics. Popper moved to England to pursue this opportunity and later will become a professor of logic and scientific method at the University in 1949. While teaching at the University Popper was able to build his reputation and work on many of his ideas as a philosopher. -
Second Publication
In 1957, Popper publishes his second book "The Poverty of Historicism." In this work, Popper argues that the idea of historicism is dangerous and bankrupt. -
Queen Elizabeth Knights Popper
In 1965, the Queen of England kights him in recognition of his scientific work, becoming Sir Karl Popper. Some of the many other awards he received over the years were the Lippincott Award of the American Political Science Association, the Sonning Prize, and the Otto Hahn Peace Medal of the United Nations Association of Germany in Berlin and fellowships in the Royal Society. -
Retirement
In 1969, Popper retired from teaching at the London School of Economics. Even after retirement, Popper continued to stay active in academic circles for the rest of his life. -
Third and Final Publication
In 1981-1982, Popper publishes his final book "Realism and the Aim of Science," which was part of a three-part volume (Postscript to the Logic of Scientific Discovery, 3 vol.) This final piece of work talks about his non-justificationist theory of knowledge. How science aims at true explanatory theories, but it can never prove or justify, a theory to be true, not even if is a true theory.