Monday, April 25, 2016

Karl Popper : The Roots of Totalitarianism





Karl Popper is not just another jewish writter. He is the father of "open society" theory that together with The Frankfurt school of thought plays a major role in the nowadays politics worldwide. Liberal right, social democrats, capitalists, progressive left parties, communists and far leftist movements, anarchist groups ,writters and activists are all influenced by the ideas of Karl Popper.
Therefore its very intresting to see which are the dangers for these people and were for them their enemies traced back in history. Thats why,  starting from National Socialism,  they will always seek to eliminate any persons or movements that adopt such ideals. 
The following words are parts taken directly from karl popper's major work "Open Society and Its Enemies" that published in 1945.



 "This fundamental historical law forms, in Plato’s view, part of
a  cosmic  law—of  a  law  which  holds  for  all  created  or  generated 
things.  All  things  in  flux,  all  generated  things,  are  destined to
decay. Plato, like Heraclitus, felt that the forces which are at work
in history are cosmic forces."

 "Plato,  and  his  disciple  Aristotle, advanced the theory of the
biological and moral inequality of man. Greeks and barbarians are unequal  by  nature;  the  opposition  between  them  corresponds  to  that   between   natural   masters   and   natural   slaves.  The natural inequality of men is one of the reasons for their living together, for their natural gift are coplementary.Social life begins with natural  inequality, and it must continue  upon that foundation."

 "The  analysis  of  Plato’s  sociology  makes  it  easy  to  present  his  political  programme.  His  fundamental  demands can be expressed in either of two formulas, the first corresponding to his  idealist  theory of change and rest, the second to his naturalism. The idealist formula is: Arrest all political change!Change is evil, rest divine. All change can be arrested if the state is made an exact copy of its original, i.e.of the Form or Idea of the city. Should it be asked how this is practicable, we can reply with the naturalistic formula: Back to nature!Back to the original state of our forefathers, the primitive  state  founded  in  accordance  with  human  nature, and  therefore stable; back to the tribal patriarchy of the time before the Fall, to the natural class rule  of  the wise few over the ignorant  many."

 "In  spite of such arguments I believe that Plato’s  political  programme, far  from  being  morally superior to totalitarianism, is fundamentally identical with it."

 "...if I am right in this interpretation, then we should have to say that Plato’s demand for   justice   leaves   his   political   programme at the level of totalitarianism; and we should have to conclude that we must guard against the danger of being impressed by mere words." 

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