The political philosophy of Karl Popper

Karl Popper’s political philosophy is rooted in a simple but radical insight: no one is infallible, and therefore no individual or ideology should ever hold unquestioned power. From this idea flows his defense of democracy — not as the rule of the majority or the will of “the people,” but as a system for peacefully correcting mistakes. As he famously put it, the key political question is not “Who should rule?” but “How can we get rid of bad rulers without bloodshed?”

To explore Poppers philosophy, we will read chapter 7 “the principle of leadership” from his magnum opus, The Open Society and Its Enemies, as well as his short essay Utopia and Violence. The principle of leadership can be read through the link below on pages 114 – 129. When reading, also look at his 4th note to chapter 7, where he discusses his term “the paradox of tolerance”. The note can be found on page 581.
Utopia and Violence can be found here

The Open Society and its enemies can be found here