The Poverty of Historicism

By Karl Popper

Philosopher Karl Popper attacks historicism, the idea that history follows laws that allow us to predict the future of society. First published in 1957 and dedicated to the victims of totalitarian ideologies, the book argues that such predictions are logically impossible because the growth of knowledge cannot be foreseen. Popper defends piecemeal social engineering and open, critical inquiry over grand plans.

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Shane Parrish: “ This classic by the 20th-century philosopher Karl Popper is his refutation of the idea that history has some pre-determined outcome or inevitable destiny; that there are “laws of progress” or that history has an unavoidable outcome like anarchy, fascism, or capitalistic rule.”