Critical Rationalism and Postcolonial Experience

In this paper, I address the issue of the possible applicability of the ideas of Karl R. Popper’s social and political philosophy in contemporary postcolonial countries. Referring to the reception of Popper’s philosophy in Central and Eastern Europe, I argue that Popper’s writings were effective in catalysing the political wholesale transformation by undermining Marxists’ pretensions to scientific status rather than through his anti-utopian and anti-revolutionary political recommendations. In the context of attempts to apply Popper’s ideas in postcolonial countries, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, I claim that the influence of Popper’s social thought on the politics of those countries may not be as effective as expected or desired. A consideration of the above issue throws new light on the controversy between conservative and progressive interpretations of Popper’s political and social thought. Without denying serious limitations to the applicability of Popper’s political philosophy as a guide in coping with the problems of postcolonial countries of the Global South, I argue that a conservative reading of Popper’s political ideas, which focuses only on his concept of piecemeal engineering as an instrument of social change, underestimates the transformative potential of his ideas and is contradicted by their inspirational role in the transformation of Central and Eastern Europe.