Portrait of Karl Popper
Center · Thinker or writer · From history

Karl Popper

Austrian-British philosopher, 1902 to 1994

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Defended the open society against totalitarianism and argued that good governments let citizens remove rulers without bloodshed.

Karl Popper sits in the right-libertarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly free market and strongly libertarian. The clearest positions are strongly libertarian on liberty and authority, strongly institutional on institutions and leaning tech-optimist on technology.

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Where Karl Popper sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomySlightly free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly libertarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureLeaning progressive
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationLeaning globalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceSlightly peace-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionLeaning secular
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismLeaning interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Karl Popper

Steven Pinker Canadian-American psychologist and author98%Nick Clegg Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 2010 to 201598%Emma Bonino Italian politician and Radical Party leader98%Isaiah Berlin British philosopher and historian, 1909 to 199797%John Rawls American philosopher, 1921 to 200297%Neil deGrasse Tyson American astrophysicist and presenter97%John Stuart Mill English philosopher and MP, 1806 to 187397%Fareed Zakaria Indian-American journalist97%

People furthest from Karl Popper

Ruhollah Khomeini Supreme Leader of Iran, 1979 to 19898%Hibatullah Akhundzada Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, 2021 to present8%Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil, 2019 to 20229%Benito Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy, 1922 to 19439%

Political views closest to Karl Popper

Social liberalismDefends individual rights and open societies while backing public services and equal…98%Effective altruismUses evidence and reason to find the most effective ways of doing good, often favoring…96%Civic republicanismValues citizen participation, civic virtue and freedom from domination, and often…96%ConstitutionalismHolds that power should be limited by a written constitution, independent courts and…96%

Read more about Karl Popper

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Biographies of Karl PopperBooks on social liberalism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Franz Barta, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.