Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture Online

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Open Society
(3,307 words)

The term “open society” was coined by the Austrian philosopher Karl Popper (1902–1994). In his book The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945), Popper applies this term to political cultures that allow a critical rational dialogue. He delineated these from “closed” societies, which were founded on beliefs or dogmas or on what he described as “pseudoscience” or “historicism.”

1. Karl Popper

Karl Raimund …

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Dubnov, Arie, “Open Society”, in: Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture Online, Original German Language Edition: Enzyklopädie Jüdischer Geschichte und Kultur. Im Auftrag der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig herausgegeben von Dan Diner. © J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart/Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland 2011–2017. Consulted online on 02 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2468-8894_ejhc_COM_0596>
First published online: 2017
First print edition: 20210312



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