Why people recommend it
The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper is a classic 1945 philosophical and political work that defends liberal democracy and open society while offering a profound critique of historicism and totalitarian ideologies. The book has been cited by thinkers and commentators on several podcasts. On The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast in May 2024, Dr. Ronnie Janoff-Bulman and the host discussed cognitive conservatism, during which the host expressed a deep admiration for Karl Popper and his theories on how humans process disconfirming information. On The Joe Rogan Experience in March 2024, James Lindsay discussed Popper while explaining the background of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, noting that Soros had been mentored by the famous philosopher and highlighting how Popper's 1945 book conceptualized the post-World War II open society that modern democratic nations often take for granted. Additionally, on The Rubin Report in April 2020, Michael Shermer referenced Popper's book to explain philosophical concepts such as the paradox of tolerance. Across these diverse appearances, speakers turned to Popper's seminal text to anchor debates surrounding political philosophy, the defense of democratic institutions, the history of social thought, and the structural vulnerabilities inherent in maintaining a truly free and open society against various forms of dogmatic authoritarianism.
Who recommended it
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 3
“You know, the notion that we're not going to make a change every second based on one disconfirming thing—I mean, I actually love Karl Popper. You know, the notion is we should be cognitively conservative when it comes to our schemas, or our theories.”
“well, that's all based off of; a lot of people don't know Soros's mentor was the famous Karl Popper, and Karl Popper wrote a book in 1945 called The Open Society and Its Enemies. And so the Open Society is what we've been taking for granted, basically in the post-World War II era, and that's what we want; that's where”
“I think an explanation might come from Karl Popper's, the great philosopher of science, Karl Popper's book, "The Open Society."”