# Popper argued utopian promises create earthly hell

2026-08-13T22:59:19+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Times of India reports that philosopher Karl Popper, after witnessing a 1919 Vienna protest where police killed 12 people, abandoned his belief in utopian revolution. He later wrote 'The Open Society and Its Enemies' (1945), warning that promises of earthly paradise justify cruelty. Popper contrasted 'piecemeal social engineering' with utopian schemes that treat failure as enemy resistance, citing examples like the French Reign of Terror and Stalin's collectivisation. His argument remains relevant to modern institutions, public policy and technology.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/quote-of-the-day-by-karl-popper-those-who-promise-us-paradise-on-earth-never-produced-anything-but-a-hell-and-the-deadly-psychological-flaw-behind-every-political-utopia/articleshow/133223683.cms>

Tags: critical thinking, history, Karl Popper, philosophy, totalitarianism, utopianism
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