The Open Society and Its Enemies

Karl Popper outlines the broad scope of The Open Society and Its Enemies by highlighting a number of the general issues he seeks to raise in this work. The author’s purpose is to evaluate key civilizational problems in the West, which continues to transform from a closed to an open society. His goal is to use “critical and rational methods of science” for his analysis (xliii).

One of the given problems is the challenge of totalitarianism. Popper describes totalitarianism as a reactionary movement with roots going back to ancient Greece. The author links totalitarianism with historicism—the practice of using history to explain and predict future events. Popper is highly critical of the use of historicism in social sciences, noting, “[S]weeping historical prophecies are entirely beyond the scope of the scientific method” (xliv). He points out the error of equating the scientific method and “historical prophecy.” The worst type of historicism is that which absolves men of responsibility because they are swept up in pre-destined historic events. Popper asserts, “The future depends on ourselves, and we do not depend on any historic necessity” (xliv). The author is also critical of the intellectual trend that promotes the “revolt against civilization” because he finds it utopian (xlvi).

Finally, Popper acknowledges that The Open Society and Its Enemies contains many of his own biased opinions on the subjects discussed within—rather than infallible facts. Popper does so to chastise the sense of superiority he finds among intellectuals: “It is always flattering to belong to the inner circle of the initiated, and to possess the unusual power of predicting the course of history” (xlv).