Recent years have seen the attempt to bring Popper's thought to bear on current philosophical debates by showing how he can help us find solutions to today's problems. Thinkers influenced by Popper tend to deal with the inherent complexity of his thought by privileging the aspects and tendencies they find most congenial. Simplifications and unilateral reconstructions have often resulted. The most serious challenge to this way of rethinking Popper comes from Popper himself, who never attempted to simplify problems for the sake of finding easy solutions. Among the most fecund legacies of Popper's philosophy are the exciting challenges posed by the numerous open questions raised by fundamental tensions in his thought, some of which I have tried to sketch in this article. Popper's philosophy grew out of the attempt to harmonise different tendencies which, interacting with one another, produced the many oscillations and inconsistencies that affect the different phases of the development of his thought. Two main issues are addressed: first, Popper's social notion of rationality and objectivity and its similarities with Marx, with the sociology of science, with feminist epistemology and with postmodernism, and, second, Popper's antifoundationalism.
Rethinking Popper and His Legacy
BUZZONI, Marco
2010-01-01
Abstract
Recent years have seen the attempt to bring Popper's thought to bear on current philosophical debates by showing how he can help us find solutions to today's problems. Thinkers influenced by Popper tend to deal with the inherent complexity of his thought by privileging the aspects and tendencies they find most congenial. Simplifications and unilateral reconstructions have often resulted. The most serious challenge to this way of rethinking Popper comes from Popper himself, who never attempted to simplify problems for the sake of finding easy solutions. Among the most fecund legacies of Popper's philosophy are the exciting challenges posed by the numerous open questions raised by fundamental tensions in his thought, some of which I have tried to sketch in this article. Popper's philosophy grew out of the attempt to harmonise different tendencies which, interacting with one another, produced the many oscillations and inconsistencies that affect the different phases of the development of his thought. Two main issues are addressed: first, Popper's social notion of rationality and objectivity and its similarities with Marx, with the sociology of science, with feminist epistemology and with postmodernism, and, second, Popper's antifoundationalism.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
