Pan Critical Rationalism sponsors the growth of knowledge aided and abetted by relentless creative and imaginative criticism. This provides a healthy environment for the generation of new ideas and the elimination of error. Some species of thought may not survive easily in this new intellectual econiche while others are likely to flourish and multiply.

Currently, Pancritical Rationalists are people who believe that there is an external reality but that they will never be sure they know it, that no position can be positively justified but it is quite likely that one, (or some) will turn out to be better (closer to reality) than others in the light of critical discussion and tests. This type of rationality holds all its positions and propositions open to criticism.

A standard objection to this stance is that it is empty; just holding our positions open to criticism provides no guidance as to what position we should adopt in any particular situation.

This criticism misses its mark for two reasons:

1. The stance of Pan Critical Rationalism is not a position, it is a metacontext and as such it is not directed at solving the kind of problems that are solved by adopting a position on some issue or other. It is concerned with the way that such positions are adopted, criticised, defended and relinquished.
2. Bartley does provide guidance on adopting positions; we may adopt the position that to this moment has stood up to criticism most effectively. Of course this is no help for dogmatists who seek stronger reasons for belief, but that is a problem for them, not for exponents of Pan Critical Rationalism.

"The new framework permits a rationalist to be characterized as one who is willing to entertain any position and holds all his positions, including his most fundamental standards, goals, and decisions, and his basic philosophical position itself, open to criticism; one who protects nothing from criticism by justifying it irrationally; one who never cuts off an argument by resorting to faith or irrational commitment to justify some belief that has been under severe critical fire; one who is committed, attached, addicted, to no position." [The Retreat To Commitment p118]

Very popular with Extropians apparently.

"The claim that a rationalist need not commit himself even to argument is no claim that he will not or should not have strong convictions on which he is prepared to act. We can assume or be convinced of the truth of something without being committed to its truth." [The Retreat To Commitment p121]

We have an Introduction To PCR, an exploration of Methods Of Criticism and A Review Of PCR by Antony Solomon. Bartley's attempt to escape from Justificationism is expounded in The Retreat To Commitment (also known as Critical Preference or Comprehensive Critical Rationalism). A lot of the material here on why is based on work by Rafe Champion.

Max More's paper on PCR is at maxmore.com/pcr.htm