Critical Rationalists have developed some concepts to clarify what it means to take a “critical rationalist” standpoint towards political matters. The “critical attitude as a way of life”, the application of realizability tests, the “law of unintended consequences” and the conception of “piecemeal technology” are introduced for this purpose. Our analysis tries to show that such doctrines do not provide a basis for a viable “critical rationalist” political theory. They at best offer a repertory of arbitrary arguments for the symbolic (...) use of politics. (shrink)