The Lesson of this Century: With Two Talks on Freedom and the Democratic State [Hardcover]

Karl Popper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0415129583 | ISBN-13: 978-0415129589

In The Lesson of this Century Popper's purpose is to warn us against the increasing violence and egoism of our society. What solutions can we offer to the problems of the environment, demography and corruption? How can we prevent the violence our society engenders? How can we preserve our democratic system while at the same time paving the way for global peace? Popper believes that the philosopher has a duty to intervene in politics and he utters a clear call to all of us to recognise our responsibilities. He reminds us that it is our actions which will create the world of tomorrow.
The interviews in this volume were originally given to the Italian journalist Giancarlo Bosetti. The volume also includes the transcript of an interview about the moral dangers of television not previously available in English.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

About the Author

The late Karl Popper is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest philosophers and most influential thinkers of our time. A wide range of his works are available from Routledge, including most recently, All Life is Problem Solving (1999), Myth of the Framework (1996) and In Search of a Better World (1995). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (November 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415129583
• ISBN-13: 978-0415129589
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,065,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Freedom, September 15, 2003

By 

Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lesson of this Century : With Two Talks on Freedom and the Democratic State (Paperback)

In these interviews with Giancarlo Bosetti, Karl Popper gives us a rare appreciation of current political events, like the Cuba crisis of 1962, Gorbachev's Russia, the fall of the Marxist regimes in Eastern Europe or the Balkan problem (ethnic identity as a State doctrine).

His main purpose is individual liberty (freedom of opposition, democracy). The other side of the French Revolution coin, equality, endangers freedom; and if freedom is lost, there will not be equality among the unfree.

This is not to say that there should be absolute freedom. Human beings, and certainly the intellectuals, have moral obligations.
But his hope in intellectual honesty has been bitterly betrayed. The intellectuals invented the most terrible harm: mass exterminations in the name of an idea, a doctrine or a theory.

For Popper, the main problems in the modern world are the search for peace, demographic responsibility (stop the demographic explosion) and good education. At this level, his plea for media censorship is at least controversial. But for him, a message of non-violence is a moral must towards our children.

This book should be read as an example of how one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century proposes solutions for world problems within his philosophical framework and that of other important predecessors like Kant and Mill.
Not to be missed.