Karl Popper – The Father of Theory of Knowledge Fasciation

Philosophy of science deals with the foundations, methods, and the outcomes of science. Moreover, it has been around for many centuries throughout the world. Over time there have been many philosophers who have contributed to the philosophy of science, perhaps the most influential and well known of them is the 20th century philosopher Karl Popper. This essay will discuss the early life of Karl Popper and how his theory of knowledge fasciation came to be one of the most highly regarded theories in his field.

Born on July 28th, 1902 in Vienna, Austria, he was born to parents of Jewish decent, his father Simon Siegmund Carl Popper was a lawyer but, he also was interested in philosophy. Karl's mother Jenny Schiff was a home maker and amateur pianist. Karl Popper came from a family who held learning and education highly. At the Popper's home there was scholar's library because of his father's love for books and a plethora of classical musical instruments available. Among Karl there were two other children, his older sisters Dora and Annie. The Poppers had established themselves as part of the upper middle-class in Vienna. Although, Karl Popper had a privileged childhood he took notice of the poverty surrounding him. His empathy towards people was instilled in him by his father who worked with humanitarian organizations that offered food and shelter to homeless people. Karl took an interest in books regarding philosophy, and social and political issues. His love for knowledge and books carried over to school but, he felt that the lessons he learned in high school were painfully slow and his time would be better spent elsewhere. After returning to school after a long absence he felt even more sure that his time was being wasted. He eventually decided to leave high school altogether when he was 16 years old. Then he enrolled at the University of Vienna to attend lectures and classes not for any specific degree, but because he thought that it would be interesting and worthwhile.

In 1918 Austria suffered extreme financial and social turmoil as World War 1 came to an end. Popper became concerned again with poverty issues that once troubled him when he was younger because of how many people were suffering. In 1919 when Popper was 17 he joined the Association of Socialist School Students he got involved with left-wing politics. Ultimately becoming a Marxist for a short while that is until he let down by the association and left the movement. During this time Popper started listening to the work of Alber Einstein. His first being a lecture Einstein gave in Vienna on relativity theory. Learning about Albert Einstein's work changed Popper's views. He was fascinated with how Einstein was able to change and get rid of his theory if it was unable to pass critical tests.

Around 1920 Popper left his parents' house to ease their financial burden after the war. Thus, leading him on a journey of figuring out who he was as a young adult. He continued with his education at the University of Vienna with lessons in subjects like mathematics, theoretical physics, and philosophy. However, he also needed to earn a living so, trained as a furniture maker while continuing his education. Eventually he decided that he wouldn't be good at making furniture because his mind was elsewhere, leading him to get his teaching certificate for mathematics and psychology. Ultimately he was awarded a Ph.D. for his thesis on the problems in psychology of thinking.

In 1930 he married Josephine Henninger she took care of him and with love and devotion until her death. Early on they decided that they didn't want children so, Karl Popper could focus on his work. During this time Popper took a teaching position rather far away from Vienna at the University of Canterbury as a philosophy professor.