The Open Society and Its Enemies (Routledge Classics)

‘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.

Customer Reviews:

It is a great book!

By Surendra R. Bhandari - March 12, 2013

A very enlightening book! Any political leader and a student of political science could understand democracy in depth by reading this book than any other book.

A TRUE MODERN CLASSIC

By gtc53 - February 24, 2013

A WONDERFUL WORK OF SCHOLARSHIP ARGUMENT AND CLARITY

CONTROVERSIAL AND BRILLIANT

A MASTERPIECE OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

POPPER'S WORK ON PLATO HERE IS UNEQUALED

THIS WORK IS AN INTELLECTUAL PLEASURE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER

Very interesting philosophical insights

By J. Miller - February 22, 2013

This is an excellent work to read if you would like to think about what an "open society" is, and how it can be defended from the forces of what Karl Popper calls "historicist" thinking (which, in his view, leads to totalitarian modes of thought and utopian social engineering.) Popper's critique of Plato's political thought is especially interesting, as Popper claims that the totalitarian ideas which plagued the 20th Century -- most specifically Communism and National Socialism -- had their intellectual roots in Plato's writings. A fascinating read.