POPPER, Sir Karl Raimund (1902- 1994), Austrian-born British philosopher
of science, known for his theory of scientific method and for his criticism of historical
determinism. He was born in Vienna and received a Ph.D. degree from the University of
Vienna in 1928. Although not a member of the so-called Vienna school of philosophy, Popper
was sympathetic with their scientific attitude, but critical of certain of their beliefs.
From 1937 to 1945 he taught at Canterbury University, New Zealand, and then at the
University of London. Popper's most significant contribution to the philosophy of science
was his characterization of the scientific method, while his combatative defense of the
free-market made him a key ideologue of the Cold War. The Logic of Scientific Discovery
(1934; trans. 1959) The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945) and a biography
Unending Quest.
Analytic philosophy and the Vienna Circle