History Quote by Karl R. Popper
““The derivation of the historical law of increasing misery is thus invalid. All that remains is a moving description of the misery of the workers which prevailed a hundred years ago, and a valiant attempt to explain it with the help of what we may call, with Lenin27, Marx’s ‘economic law of the movement of contemporary society’ (that is, of the unrestrained capitalism of a hundred years ago). But in so far as it is meant as an historical prophecy, and in so far as it is used to deduce the ‘inevitability’ of certain historical developments, the derivation is invalid.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Logic of Scientific Discovery, 1959
Popper argues that historical predictions about capitalism’s inevitability are unfounded and misapplied.
In simple terms: Historical forecasts about capitalism are invalid.
Key Takeaway
Question deterministic views of history.
Themes
history
economics
philosophy of science
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
academic
critical
When to use this quote
- academic research
- policy analysis
- education
Key Concepts
determinism
historical materialism
Questions to Reflect On
- How reliable are economic forecasts?
- What role does human choice play?
A Different Perspective
Deterministic models can overlook human agency and complexity.
