Religia społeczeństwa otwartego

Abstract

In his criticism of religion Popper reaches for marxist and psychoanalitic – based argumentation. According to Popper religion is, on the one hand, the effect of social relations (closed society), and – on the other – the sign of the immaturity of the human psyche, seeking authorities. support in its escape from responsibility. Popper’s concept of an open society is an offer of a secular way of salvation. “An open society” is a society devoid of authorities, either epistemological or deontical. A human living in such a social structure experiences freedom from psychic immaturity. Popper also proposes a new religion of “critical rationalism”. It is a faith in human reason, its goals being peace, tolerance and unity among men. In order to accomplish this goal, Popper’s religion is based on the primary assumption of his epistemology, derived from his theory of science – that nobody is right, because it is impossible to prove the truthfulness of any statement. Popper’s criticism of religion does not consider the existence or non-existence of God. Popper’s analyses are only of sociological and psychological character, not metaphysical. Their effect is the postulate of a mode of life both individual and social, as if there were no God.