The Open Society and Its Enemies in II vol. Vol. I. In the grip of Plato's spell (Trans. from Eng. by Oleksandr Kovalenko): Osnovy, Kyiv, 1994, 444 p.

«The Open Society and Its Enemies» is, according to Bertrand Russell, a work of great importance, worth reading for its brilliant critique of the enemies of democracy, both ancient and modern.

This glorious work is indispensable for students, political scientists, and politicians, as the author explores not only ancient Greek philosophy and modern philosophical movements from Kant to the present day, but also examines the art of government, the history of the development and decline of Greek democracies, and provides a model of scientific logic and critical analysis. Karl Popper focuses on the task of the social sciences, analyses the history of fascism and communism, and criticises the historicism of Plato, Hegel and Marx. With this masterfully written book, the author makes a significant contribution to the development of democratic ideas.

CONTENTS

Preface to the first edition

Preface to the second edition

Acknowledgements

Preface

In the grip of Plato's spell

The myth of origin and predestination

Chapter 1. Historicism and the myth of predestination

Chapter 2. Heraclitus

Chapter 3. Plato's theory of ‘forms’ or ‘ideas’

Plato's descriptive sociology

Chapter 4. Change and rest

Chapter 5. Nature and convention

Plato's political programme

Chapter 6. Totalitarian justice

Chapter 7. The principle of leadership

Chapter 8: The reign of the philosopher

Chapter 9. Aestheticism, the idea of perfection and utopianism

The basis of the Platonic struggle

Chapter 10. Open society and its enemies

Notes

Appendices

I Plato and Geometry (1957)

II Dating the Theaetetus (1961)

III Reply to a critic (1965)