Editorial Policy
The Critical Rationalist ISSN: 1393-3809
Why should there be a journal devoted to the exploration of the work of a single thinker? Because the work of Karl Popper has radically altered the very questions that we ask when dealing with a wide range of philosophical problems and even the way we approach these problems. The issues of verisimilitude, the problem of induction, the mind-body question, the justification of scientific theories, the growth of scientific knowledge, the interpretation and axiomatization of probability, evolutionary theory, the philosophy of history (to name but a few) cannot now be discussed thoroughly without reference to Popper's work.
The Critical Rationalist is a journal for those who think real philosophical problems exist, as opposed to mere linguistic puzzles. It is journal for those who think that philosophy can contribute to a real understanding of the world. In addition to eschewing linguistic analysis, we also revel in the unforseeable interconnectedness of our problems and their solutions.
Critical Rationalism is the modest but bold and optimistic attitude: I may be wrong and you may be right and by an effort we may get nearer to the truth. Its method consists of exaggerated guesses, followed by unrestrained criticism. It flourishes best with sincerity, imagination and competitive co-operation--things beyond complete logical analysis. It is a method that in the abstract can be applied to the solution of any problem, whether scientific, aesthetic, moral or metaphysical. Historians or sociologists are easily over-awed by the variety of particular techniques and methods used in the different sciences and how these change over time, but the fact that an astronomer uses a telescope and a sociologist uses statistics does not alter the fact that in each case they can use their particular methods in accord with conjecture and refutation. As emphasized by Karl Popper, and extensively explored by the late Donald Campbell, there is also the naturalistic hypothesis that all knowledge processes, from those of the humble amoeba to human visual perception, to the modern scientist, involve at least an analogue of conjecture and refutation.
William Warren Bartley III must be credited with having shown that, properly interpreted, Critical Rationalism can be applied to itself. This position is called Comprehensively Critical Rationalism (CCR): any position can be held rationally, provided it can be held open to criticism. This journal is inspired by the work of Karl Popper, but that does not mean that it is committed to the preservation, come what may, of any particular view that he held. We accept the challenge of CCR, and are self-consciously open to and vulnerable to attack. The debates held within this journal may lead to very different position(s). I have no idea what such a refutation of CCR would look like, and I cannot imagine the new positions that may take its place. However, we should welcome any such development as a fascinating revelation. Nietzsche said that what does not destroy you, only makes you stronger--something that is uncannily true in the realm of ideas.
The Critical Rationalist ISSN: 1393-3809
