Alexis Papazoglou’s “The Philosopher and the News” events now feature monthly event in the “On Philosophy” series!

Nearly 80 years ago, Karl Popper gave a spirited philosophical defence of the Open Society in his two-volume work, The Open Society and Its Enemies. In this event, J. McKenzie Alexander will argue that a new defence is urgently needed because, in the decades since the end of the Cold War, many of the values of the Open Society have come under threat once again. Populist agendas on both the left and right threaten to undermine fundamental principles that underpin liberal democracies, so that what were previously seen as virtues of the Open Society are now seen by many people as vices, dangers, or threats.

Alexander will call for the concept of the Open Society to be rehabilitated and advanced. In doing this, there is an opportunity to re-think the kind of society we want to create, and to ensure it is achievable and sustainable.

J. McKenzie Alexander is Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics. His research interests include evolutionary game theory as applied to the evolution of morality and social norms, problems in decision theory, and formal epistemology. His book, The Open Society as an Enemy, is published by the LSE Press.
Website: https://jmckalex.org/home/Home.php

Book: https://press.lse.ac.uk/site/books/m/10.31389/lsepress.ose

Alexis Papazoglou is Managing Editor of the LSE British Politics and Policy blog. He was previously senior editor for the Institute of Arts and Ideas, and a philosophy lecturer at Cambridge and Royal Holloway. He is also host of the podcast, “The Philosopher and the News”.