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The method of learning by trial and error – of learning from our mistakes – seems to be fundamentally the same whether it is practiced by lower or by higher animals, by chimpanzees, or by men of science.

Karl Popper

We must regard all laws or theories as hypothetical or conjectural; that is, as guesses.
KARL POPPER

Law Philosophy Theory
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.
KARL POPPER

Achieve Peace Simplicity Weapon World
Science is most significant as one of the greatest spiritual adventures that man has yet known.
KARL POPPER

Adventure Greatness Man Science Spiritual
Those who promise us paradise on earth never produced anything but hell.
KARL POPPER

Hell Nature Promise
It is wrong to think that belief in freedom always leads to victory; we must always be prepared for it to lead to defeat. If we choose freedom, then we must be prepared to perish along with it.
KARL POPPER

Believe Choice Freedom Lost Philosophy Prepare Thinking Victory Wrong
We all have an unscientific weakness for being always in the right, and this weakness seems to be particularly common among professional and amateur politicians.
KARL POPPER

Politics Right Science Weakness
The way of science is paved with discarded theories that were once declared self-evident.
KARL POPPER

Evidence Science Theory Way
Great men may make great mistakes.
KARL POPPER

Greatness Men Mistake One Liner
In my view, aiming at simplicity and lucidity is a moral duty of all intellectuals: lack of clarity is a sin, and pretentiousness is a crime.
KARL POPPER

Crime Duty Moral Myself Philosophy Simplicity Sin
It is not the consciousness of man that determines his existence – rather, it is his social existence that determines his consciousness.
KARL POPPER

Existence Man Philosophy Spiritual
The essential feature of dualist-interactionism is that the mind and brain are independent entities and that they interact by quantum physics.
KARL POPPER

Independent Mindset Science
Our knowledge can only be finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite.
KARL POPPER

Deep Knowledge Necessary Philosophy
Theology, I still think, is due to a lack of faith.
KARL POPPER

Faith One Liner Thinking
A theory that explains everything, explains nothing.
KARL POPPER

One Liner Philosophy Theory
In so far as a scientific statement speaks about reality, it must be falsifiable: and in so far as it is not falsifiable, it does not speak about reality.
KARL POPPER

Philosophy Reality Science Speak
The conspiracy theory of society, comes from abandoning God and then asking: “Who is in his place?”
KARL POPPER

Abandonment God Himself Place Spiritual Theory
Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.
KARL POPPER

Art Science Simplicity
If our civilization is to survive, we must break with the habit of deference to great men.
KARL POPPER

Break Greatness Men Ourselves Survive
Those who promise us paradise on earth never produced anything but hell.
KARL POPPER

Hell Philosophy
Instead of the greatest happiness for the greatest number, one should demand, more modestly, the least amount of avoidable suffering for all.
KARL POPPER

Avoid Demand Greatness Happiness Philosophy Prayer Suffering
Theories are nets cast to catch what we call ‘the world’: to rationalize, to explain, and to master it. We endeavor to make the mesh ever finer and finer.
KARL POPPER

Fine Perfection Theory World
“It can’t happen here” is always wrong: a dictatorship can happen anywhere.
KARL POPPER

Politics Wrong
No rational argument will have a rational effect on a man who does not want to adopt a rational attitude.
KARL POPPER

Argument Man Philosophy Science
I hold that he who teaches that not reason but love should rule opens up the way for those who rule by hate.
KARL POPPER

Hate Love Myself Philosophy Teaching
If we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.
KARL POPPER

Deep Destroy Oppression Philosophy Prepare Tolerance
The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world.
KARL POPPER

Greatness Home Man Philosophy Soul Spiritual Wisdom World
And it implies that if we respect truth, we must search for it by persistently searching for our errors: by indefatigable rational criticism, and self-criticism.
KARL POPPER

Philosophy Respect Search Truth

The method of learning by trial and error – of learning from our mistakes – seems to be fundamentally the same whether it is practiced by lower or by higher animals, by chimpanzees, or by men of science.

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The method of learning by trial and error – of learning from our mistakes – seems to be fundamentally the same whether it is practiced by lower or by higher animals, by chimpanzees, or by men of science.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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