Open Society and Its Enemies

Author: Karl Popper
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-08-01
Features: "The Open Society and Its Enemies" is the masterpiece of the world-famous philosopher Karl Popper. In terms of its criticism of totalitarianism, this book can be compared with George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and "1984," and is regarded as a great classic of political thought. As the philosopher Detmar Marx said, almost no work has been more grand in its opposition to the foundations of the atrocities of the 20th century than "The Open Society and Its Enemies." "The Open Society and Its Enemies" was first published in 1945 and quickly became a bestseller in philosophy, translated into multiple languages, and had a profound influence. In this monumental work, Popper focuses on the critique of the social and political philosophies of three thinkers—Plato, Hegel, and Marx—arguing that their ideas are the source of modern totalitarianism. However, he rarely mentions directly or systematically what an "open society" is.