The Open Universe

Why I Picked It Up / How It Read

I read this as part of exploring the foundations of the scientific method and following up on Popper's earlier book "The Logic of Scientific Discovery" and deepening my understanding of the different interpretations of probability. Popper’s writing is dense in places but clear and structured. The arguments build gradually, and the historical framing makes the philosophical claims easier to track.

What I Took Away

• Another assertion for me that philosophical writing shouldn't be overly complicated.
• The book contained the clearest classification of the interpretations of probability I've ever read
• Many intellectual differences stem from using the same vernacular but with different connotations. Popper makes an excellent argument for why this is the case with the objective and subjective meanings of the word "probable"
• The section where he talks about his correspondence with Alan Turing and how he used Turing's Automata to prove the unpredictability of scientific advances was one of the most superb pieces of philosophical writings I ever read