Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by 8iterations 2878 days ago
"Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge" is my favorite work by Karl Popper. His 1945 work on the Paradox of Tolerance seems more appropriate here.
1 comments

Agreed.

Especially his statements [1]:

"...as long as we can counter them (the tolerant) by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be unwise"

and

"it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant"

The behaviour that Popper warns about (forbidding rational argument and answering arguments with force) sounds more like the left, than Alex Jones. [2] [3]

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance#cite_note...

[2] - https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/25/politics/maxine-waters-tr...

[3] - http://dailycaller.com/2018/08/06/antifa-windows-marine-corp...