Popper's three worlds

The three-world theory is an ontological position that assumes the existence of three worlds. These three worlds are the outside world ( = physical world of material objects, such as mountains, cars, houses ), the world of consciousness ( eg, thoughts, feelings, sensations) and the world of objective thought content (eg mathematical theorems ).

A division into three logos, psyche and physique can already be found in classical Greek philosophy.

The three-world theory was formulated in 1918 The idea of Gottlob Frege in his work:

" Thoughts are not things of the outer world nor ideas. A third realm must be recognized. "

Another representative is Karl Raimund Popper, with whose name the three-world theory is intricately linked. Popper called the Third World, " World 3 ". Similar to Charles S. Peirce, he assumes that the objective intellectual content products of human thinking are, after their creation, but have their own existence. Consciousness is the intermediary between the physical and spiritual world instance with him.

For Roger Penrose the Platonic mathematical world is paramount; clearly before the physical, that is, only a subset. The relations of the spiritual world to the "world of ideas " and the "reality " are more complex, with Penrose particularly the quantum mechanical processes for the awareness and the theoretical possibility of individuals to recognize the " logos " are important.

A methodological " Trialism " also represent some social and legal philosophers such as Hermann Kantorowicz and Gustav Radbruch ( triad ( culture) ). The legal and cultural philosopher Axel Montenbruck developed following Karl Popper and the Trialism of Gustav Radbruch a "three -worlds theory ", in which he distinguishes between the three worlds of ( normative ) humanism ( empirical ) naturalism and cultural pragmatism.