-
Birth
Karl Raimund Popper was born in Vienna, Austria, to Jewish parents that brought him up in a "decidedly bookish" atmosphere (Thornton). He would become one of the most influential minds in the 20th century, with contributions to social, political and scientific philosophy. -
Ahead of his time
In 1918, at just 15 years of age, a young Karl left the local realgymnasium (secondary school. He was unconvinced with the teaching standards there, and opted to instead enroll in the University of Vienna (Thornton). -
Period: to
Early Academic Achievements at the University of Vienna
Having started collegiate studies early, in 1925 Popper received a primary school teaching diploma. Soon thereafter, in 1928, he received his PhD for his dissertation “Zur Methodenfrage der Denkpsychologie” (On the Problem of Method in the Psychology of Thinking) (Shea). In 1929, he received a qualification to teach mathematics and physics at the secondary school level (Thornton). -
Logik der Forschung
Popper's first published book in the philosophy of science was Logik der Forschung (The Logic of Research), which was later translated into English under the title The Logic of Scientific Discovery in 1959 (Shea). -
Falsifiability
In Logik der Forschung, Popper proposes that scientific theories are distinguished from non-scientific theories in that "they make testable claims that future observations might reveal to be false." Science progresses in an evolutionary manner, with observations "selecting against unfit theories by falsifying them" (Shea). This has far-reaching consequences. For example, Popper rejected Marxism as a scientific theory ([BBC Radio 4]). Karl Popper's Falsification -
Period: to
Teaching at Canterbury University College
Karl Popper settled into Canterbury University College in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he taught philosophy for the duration of World War II. Here he wrote The Poverty of Historicism in 1944 (as an article) and The Open Society and Its Enemies in 1945. These works marked his passion for social works as well as "a devastating critique" totalitarianism (Thornton). -
The Poverty of Historicism, I
In The Poverty of Historicism, Popper presents a strong rebuke to the idea that historicism can offer a reasonable means by which to predict society's evolution. He wrote "Suppose [a prediction that] market shares would rise for three days and then fall. [E]veryone connected with the market would sell on the third day, causing a fall of prices on that day, contrary to the prediction. The idea, in short, of an exact and reliable social calendar is self-contradictory (Popper 89). -
Period: to
London School of Economics and University of London
Weary of a tension with his department head in Vienna, Popper relocated to London, first teaching at the London School of Economics in 1946, and then at the University of London in 1949, where he would remain until his retirement in 1969. It is here that he developed his reputation as a philosopher of science. He wrote many books, though the now translated version of Logik der Forschung into the English The Logic of Scientific Discovery (1959) being arguably his most influential in the field. -
Death
A prolific writer and philosopher, Karl Popper continued writing even after retiring from academic life in 1969. He died September 17, 1994 at the age of 92, in Croydon, England. His obituary in the Washington Post not only credited him as a philosopher, but as an important force in politics and economics, influencing the framework for Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party in the 1980s (“PHILOSOPHER KARL POPPER DIES”). -
Works Cited
