ON HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING
study of the past seems sufficient to explain all phenomena of the present
it is often far from the marie The significance of numerology or expres–
sions like "knock wood!" is not to
be
found in the past astrological beliefs
out of which they arise but in what they reveal about the present help–
lessness of modern man, his superstitious fears, his unscientific attitude
toward science.
At the same time it is undeniable that the solution of some problems
in the present like those in mental hygiene and medicine require genetic
inquiries into the past in order to predict future outcomes. Popper's
book contributes precisely nothing to elaborating the criteria which
enables us to distinguish problems in human affairs that require genetic
inquiries for their solution from those that do not. In extenuation,
however, it may be pointed out that in neglecting this task, Popper is
not alone.
'
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