Tag Archives: Karl Popper

David Stove and the Plato cult

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on December 19, 2010

David Stove’s book The Plato Cult and Other Philosophical Follies is a remarkable collection of essays. As a staunch positivist ,the author is not impressed with most of what constitutes “philosophy” (or the quality of our thinking in general). As … Continue reading →

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Thomas Ligotti, Karl Popper and antinatalism

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on July 16, 2010

In his recently published non-fiction work The Conspiracy Against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror the contemporary horror writer Thomas Ligotti takes Karl Popper’s “negative utilitarianism” to its ultimate conclusion: One who did not balk entirely was the Austrian-born … Continue reading →

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Carl Menger and the exact science of economics

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on August 14, 2009

In Significance and Basic Postulates of Economic Theory (1938) Terence W. Hutchison presents a logical-empiricist perspective on economic methodology and takes specific issue with Austrian economists who believe that economic theories cannot and should not be falsified through empirical testing. … Continue reading →

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Rudolf Carnap politicized

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on July 2, 2009

“I like to keep my philosophical work separated from my political aims.” (Rudolf Carnap) It is a welcome development that there is an increasing interest in the history and substance of logical positivism (or logical empiricism). Most of this literature, … Continue reading →

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Karl Popper’s authoritarian social technologies

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on January 20, 2009

Karl Popper is known for his influential contributions to the philosophy of science and critical rationalism.  Unfortunately, his attempt to apply critical rationalism to political philosophy produced writings of a more impatient and dubious nature. For example, in 1960 Popper … Continue reading →

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