Philosophy and the Real World: An Introduction to Karl Popper/Bryan Magee/1985/La Salle, IL/Open Court Press/120pp. Finished 2/20/08. Rated 5
This is (unfortunately, considering the late date) the first book I have finished in 2008, but an absolutely top notch overview of Karl Popper’s philosophy by someone who knew him well and had access to his work – even all his unpublished material. And – and this is important – it isn’t nearly as hard to read as Popper’s material itself.
In this book Magee first overviews Popper’s contribution to scientific thinking. Then he gives an outline of his contribution to social thinking, and in so doing shows the seamless correlation between the two.
If anyone is even remotely interested in the brilliance of Karl Popper, I would recommend FIRST reading his “The Open Society and Its Enemies, Volume One: Plato.” The next book on the list, however, would be Magee’s. It really helped me think through more clearly (and succinctly) the implications of Popper’s thoughts for science, society, and, as the book title suggests, “the real world.”
Books I've Read 