On Tue, 6 Feb 2001, Fiona Moore wrote:
There appears to be some
kind of correlation between what Karl Popper described as The Open Society and the scientific method.
Broadly speaking, in closed societies knowledge is handed down by tradition which may not be criticised. In open societies, free discussion and rational thought is both accepted and encouraged.
Unfortunately, though, Popper was a sociologist and as such had very little contact with "primitive" societies. Most anthropological accounts suggest that in societies in which knowledge is handed down by tradition there is far more discussion and reinterpretation than Popper and his lot think--
It was my impression that, when Popper was writing about closed societies, he had something considerably more contemporary in mind.
Iain