ABSTRACT
That such a varied group could receive inspiration from Popper's work is indicative of the flexibility inherent in his philosophical approach,
and this seems to be attributable to its underlying unity: Popper was a systematic thinker. His thought was unified by a central concern with the growth of knowledge, in whatever manifestations. The Ancient Greek poet, Archilochus, wrote: 'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.' In his discussion of this distinction, Berlin (1996) identified one of the most significant differences that divide thinkers. On the one side, there are those who relate everything to a single system, a universal organising principle; on the other are those who follow many ends, which are often contradictory. The first type can be nicknamed 'hedgehogs', the second 'foxes' (ibid., p. 1-2). Despite his wide interests and talents, there is little doubt that Popper belonged among the hedgehogs.2
