The book deals with two philosophical approaches, one is represented by Karl Popper representing “The New Enlightenment” and the other is the philosophy of the Middle-Way. These approaches distance themselves from extreme solutions, from the rigid logical rationality of dichotomous perception; they propose a more flexible rationality that allows for updating and decision-making in a multi-dimensional space of quantitative and qualitative parameters. As Aristotle formulated it: “Every science achieves its perfection when it looks towards the middle and directs its actions towards it.” The two approaches that are scrutinized meticulously in the book argue that “truth” is beyond our reach, and therefore all we can do is to perform constant repetition processes: to raise conjectures, to check them against reality using the scales of reason, to correct what needs correction, to update the conjectures, and recheck again… and thus strive to approximate “truth.”
The purpose of the book is to demonstrate a possible way of dealing with decisions making in our day-to-day life.
Most issues with which we deal as individuals, as a group and a society are complicated and composed of many quantitative and qualitative parameters with mutual dependency. In such situations, there is no rigid logic, rigid method or any mathematical or statistical algorithm that can give us the “right” answer. The only way to address these kinds of issues is by some kind of flexible logic. Such a flexible logic is described by Karl Pooper’s philosophy (which represents the “New-Enlightenment” in contrary to the “Traditional-Enlightenment” – based on the concept of certainty and proof) and by the philosophy of the Middle-Way.
The two philosophies are examined and compared in detail in the book, which shows that ultimately both of them talk about the same thing: how to manage our dynamic lives in a flexible way.
Karl popper’s philosophy is an integrated philosophy that covers philosophy of science and philosophy of sociology (such as his interesting books dealing with sociology aspect are: “The open society and its enemies” and “The poverty of Historicism”).
The philosophy of the Middle-Way, which is examined in the book according to the perceptions of Confucius, Aristotle and Maimonides, shows that these philosophers also talk about this dynamic flexible way of managing our lives as individuals, as a group and as a society.
The book is unique as it offers, for the first time, a comparison between the philosophy of the Middle-Way and Karl Popper’s philosophy from the perspective of the New Enlightenment. As such, the book suggests a very interesting and innovative approach to science and society philosophies.
In addition, the book compares the philosophy of the Middle-Way and Karl Popper’s philosophy to the pragmatism perception and provides a very interesting understanding of this subject.
The book includes three main arguments: first, according to Popper’s theory (critical discussion processes and the theory of conjectures and refutations) and the philosophy of the Middle-Way, there is no absolute solution and certain truth, only an aspiration for an optimal solution possible under given circumstances. Second, to maintain the optimal solution, one must persist in the infinite process of iteration. This argument emphasizes that the circumstances of the discussed problem, both internal and external, constantly change, necessitating continuous iteration. Third, the pragmatist approach does not align with Popper’s philosophy nor with the philosophy of the Middle-Way.
The book also includes fascinating examples from the technological and business world examined in light of the Middle-Way and Karl Popper philosophies, as well as examples from the Bible and the Talmud.
An extremely interesting idea in the book, that makes it attractive and relevant to these days, concerns the growing polarization in most democratic countries around the world – for example, in Israel, the United States and Western Europe. The discussion about the philosophy of the Middle-Way and how it fits the worlds of science, technology, business and sociology, offers a unique perception that makes it possible to mitigate controversies and create a more logical ongoing discussion which can lead to a more acceptable compromise for all arguing sides.
The Hebrew edition of the book was published in Israel through Resling Publishing House (www.resling.co.il) in June 2022. The book is available in most distribution agencies in Israel, can be found in all university libraries in Israel, and is also included in the reading list of a philosophy course of one of Israel’s major universities.
