Open society
Open society
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<catset>Category="Pages needing expert attention"</catset><b>This article is in need of attention from an <a href="@ Pages needing expert attention">expert</a> on the subject</b>. Please help recruit one, or  if you can.<p><right><p><table cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; border: 1px #0000cc solid"><tr><td height=30 colspan=2 style="padding:0.2em; background:#ccf; border: solid thin #0000cc; text-align:center; margin-bottom:5px;"><big><b>The <a href="Liberalism">Liberalism</a> Series</b></big><br><small>Part of the <a href="Politics">Politics</a> series</small></td></tr><tr><td colspan=2 style="padding:0.2em; background:#ffff99; border: solid thin #0000cc; text-align:center; margin-bottom:5px;"><b>Currents</b></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Classical liberalism">Classical liberalism</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="American liberalism">American liberalism</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Liberalism in Europe">Liberalism in Europe</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Liberal theory of economics">Economic liberalism</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Ordoliberalism">Ordoliberalism</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Radicalism">Radicalism</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Social liberalism">Social liberalism</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan=2 style="padding:0.2em; background:#ffff99; border: solid thin #0000cc; text-align:center; margin-bottom:5px;"><b>Ideas</b></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Contributions to liberal theory">Contributions to liberal theory</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Free market">Free market</a> & <a href="Mixed economy">Mixed economy</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Individual rights">Individual rights</a> & <a href="Civil rights">Civil rights</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Negative liberty">Negative liberty</a> & <a href="Positive liberty">Positive liberty</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Liberal democracy">Liberal democracy</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;">Open society</td></tr><tr><td colspan=2 style="padding:0.2em; background:#ffff99; border: solid thin #0000cc; text-align:center; margin-bottom:5px;"><b>Parties</b></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Liberalism worldwide">Liberalism worldwide</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="Liberal International">Liberal International</a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 90%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><a href="European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party">ELDR</a> - <a href="Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe">ALDE</a> / <a href="Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats">CALD</a> / <a href="Africa Liberal Network">ALN</a> / <a href="Liberal Network for Latin America">Relial</a> ----</td></tr><tr><td align=right style="font-size: 85%; padding: 0 5px 0 5px;"><sup>Politics Portal - <font color=#700070> Edit this box</font></sup></td></tr></table><p></right> An <b>open society</b> is a concept originally developed by philosopher <a href="Henri Bergson">Henri Bergson</a>. In open societies, <a href="Government">Government</a> is responsive and tolerant, and political mechanisms are transparent and flexible. The <a href="State">State</a> keeps no secrets from itself in the public sense; it is a non-<a href="Authoritarianism">authoritarian</a> society in which all are trusted with the knowledge of all. <a href="Freedom (political)">Political freedoms</a> and human <a href="Right">rights</a> are the foundation of an open society.<p>In <a href="Karl Popper">Karl Popper</a>'s definition, found in his two-volume book <i><a href="The Open Society and Its Enemies">The Open Society and Its Enemies</a></i>, he defines an "open society" as one which ensures that political leaders can be overthrown without the need for bloodshed, as opposed to a "closed society", in which a bloody <a href="Revolution">Revolution</a> or <a href="Coup d'état">Coup d'état</a> is needed to change the leaders. <a href="Democracy">Democracies</a> are examples of the "open society", whereas <a href="Totalitarianism">totalitarian</a> <a href="Dictatorship">dictatorships</a> and <a href="Autocracy">autocratic</a> <a href="Monarchy">monarchies</a> are examples of the "closed society".<p>The Popperian concept of the open society stems from his <a href="Philosophy of science">Philosophy of science</a>. Since no one has the perfect knowledge on the perfect government, the next best thing is a government that is ready to change the politics it runs. An open society also has to be <a href="Pluralism">pluralistic</a> and <a href="Multiculturalism">multicultural</a>, in order to benefit from the maximum number of viewpoints possible to the given problems.<p>Open society advocates most often see the <a href="Civil society">Civil society</a> as the engine of the evolution of the open society.<h2 style="margin: 0; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaaaaa; font-size: 150%;">See also</h2><ul> <li><a href="Liberal democracy">Liberal democracy</a> <li><a href="Open Society Institute">Open Society Institute</a> <li><a href="Open system (computing)">Open systems</a> <li><a href="Freedom of information legislation">Sunshine law</a> </ul><h2 style="margin: 0; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaaaaa; font-size: 150%;">External links</h2><ul> <li>http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article.jsp?id=6&debateId=28&articleId=2639 <i>The crisis of democracy in America.</i>] </ul>