Popper Selections

Recommended by Isaac Kohane, Marion V. Nelson Professor of Biomedical Informatics, chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, and professor of pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital

Karl Popper’s writings offer a compelling exploration of how scientific knowledge actually progresses, challenging the common view that science advances through confirmation of theories. His concept of falsifiability — that scientific theories must make predictions that could be proven wrong — revolutionized our understanding of the scientific method. Beyond science, Popper’s work on the nature of democracy and his critique of totalitarianism remains current. This collection also includes his views on piecemeal social engineering that would benefit most modern governmental leaders.