The Devaluation of the Subject in Popper's Theory of World 3

In: Philosophy of the social sciences: an international journal = Philosophie des sciences sociales, Volume 46, Issue 3, p. 304-317

Abstract

Popper proposed his theory of objective knowledge to eliminate subjectivist epistemologies. Popper's objectivism culminated in the theory of the autonomous World 3 characterized by its independence from the subjective factors belonging to World 2. I argue that Popper did not succeed in unifying his idea of the autonomy of knowledge with the requirement of the creative role of the critical subject in cognition. Moreover, his effort to desubjectivize knowledge undermined the vital importance of the critical (subjective) activity that ensures the dynamism of the growth of knowledge. In this respect, Popper suppressed the most interesting feature of his philosophical contribution.