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Karl Popper Biography

Sir Karl Raimund Popper CH FBA FRS (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian-British philosopher and professor. He is generally regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest philosophers of science.

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Karl Popper Quotes

Our belief in any particular natural law cannot have a safer basis than our unsuccessful critical attempts to refute it.

Attempts, Belief, Law, Natural, Safer, Unsuccessful

I am opposed to looking upon logic as a kind of game. . . . One might think that it is a matter of choice or convention which logic one adopts. I disagree with this view.

Game, Science, Think, Thinking, View, Views

I personally call the type of government which can be removed without violence 'democracy,' and the other, 'tyranny. '.

Democracy, Freedom, Government, Personally, Violence

It is not possible to write clearly enough to avoid being misrepresented by people who are sufficiently determined to do so.

Clearly, Determined, People, Writing

A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific. Irrefutability is not a virtue of a theory (as people often think) but a vice.

People, Thinking, Vice, Vices, Virtue

We never know what we are talking about.

Know, Math, Mathematical Logic, Talking

Appealing to his [Einstein's] way of expressing himself in theological terms, I said: If God had wanted to put everything into the universe from the beginning, He would have created a universe without change, without organisms and evolution, and without man and man's experience of change. But he seems to have thought that a live universe with events unexpected even by Himself would be more interesting than a dead one.

Beginning, Events, Interesting, Men, Terms, Way

It is complete nihilism to propose laying down arms in a world where atom bombs are around. It is very simple: there is no way of achieving peace other than with weapons.

Achieving, Atoms, Nihilism, Peace, Simple, Way

It is not intuitive ease I am after, but rather a point of view which is sufficiently definite to clear up some difficulties, and to be criticized in rational terms. (Bohr's complementarity cannot be so criticized, I fear; it can only be accepted or denounced - perhaps as being ad hoc, or as being irrational, or as being hopelessly vague. )

Ease, Hopelessly, Perhaps, Point, Science, Views

I have learned more from Hayek than from any other living thinker, except perhaps Alfred Tarski - but not even excepting Russell.

Hayek, I Have Learned, Living, Russell, Thinker

No particular theory may ever be regarded as absolutely certain. . . . No scientific theory is sacrosanct.

Certain, May, Particular, Theory

I don't know whether God exists or not. . . . Some forms of atheism are arrogant and ignorant and should be rejected, but agnosticism—to admit that we don't know and to search—is all right. . . . When I look at what I call the gift of life, I feel a gratitude which is in tune with some religious ideas of God. However, the moment I even speak of it, I am embarrassed that I may do something wrong to God in talking about God.

Gratitude, Ideas, Moment, Religious, Right

The true Enlightenment thinker, the true rationalist, never wants to talk anyone into anything. No, he does not even want to convince; all the time he is aware that he may be wrong. Above all, he values the intellectual independence of others too highly to want to convince them in important matters. He would much rather invite contradiction, preferably in the form of rational and disciplined criticism. He seeks not to convince but to arouse - to challenge others to form free opinions.

Arouse, Challenges, Free Opinion, Intellectual, Rationalist, Talk

We all remember how many religious wars were fought for a religion of love and gentleness; how many bodies were burned alive with the genuinely kind intention of saving souls from the eternal fire of hell.

Burned, Love, Religion, Religious, War

Evolution is not a fact. Evolution doesn't even qualify as a theory or as a hypothesis. It is a metaphysical research program, and it is not really testable science.

Evolution, Facts, Hypothesis, Metaphysical, Research, Theory

Almost everyone. . . seems to be quite sure that the differences between the methodologies of history and of the natural sciences are vast. For, we are assured, it is well known that in the natural sciences we start from observation and proceed by induction to theory. And is it not obvious that in history we proceed very differently? Yes, I agree that we proceed very differently. But we do so in the natural sciences as well.

Differences, Methodologies, Science, Sciences, Well Known

A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. These considerations suggest that not the verifiability but the falsifiability of a system is to be taken as a criterion of demarcation. . . It must be possible for an empirical or scientific system to be refuted by experience.

Atheism, Consideration, Considerations, Criterion, Experience, Taken

Our aim as scientists is objective truth; more truth, more interesting truth, more intelligible truth. We cannot reasonably aim at certainty. Once we realize that human knowledge is fallible, we realize also that we can never be completely certain that we have not made a mistake.

Mistake, Interesting, Objective Truth, Fallible, Knowledge, Certain

It is clear that everybody interested in science must be interested in world 3 objects. A physical scientist, to start with, may be interested mainly in world 1 objects--say crystals and X-rays. But very soon he must realize how much depends on our interpretation of the facts, that is, on our theories, and so on world 3 objects. Similarly, a historian of science, or a philosopher interested in science must be largely a student of world 3 objects.

Crystals, Depends, Facts, Interpretation, Subjectivity

I have insisted that we must be tolerant. But I also believe that this tolerance has its limits. We must not trust those anti-humanitarian religions which not only preach destruction but act accordingly. For if we tolerate them, then we become ourselves responsible for for their deeds.

Accordingly, Act, Believe, Deeds, Limits, Tolerance

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