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Imre Lipsitz attends University of Debrecen
Brilliant in his youth, Imre Lakatos, originally named Imre Lipsitz, was called the best student in his school by his teachers.
While attending the University of Debrecen in Hungary, he studied philosophy, physics, and mathematics. It was here where he met one of his mentors, and dear friend, Arpad Szabo. It was professor Szabo that helped to shape young Imre into the philosopher that he would become (Kutroyatz). -
Challenging accepted “truths” with speculation
Lakatos challenged an article that criticized Marxist materialism by Vilmos Csiszar, a professor of biology and veterinary science. Being a supporter of Marxism, Lakatos was compelled to defend his views.
He argued that focusing on what is “concrete” facts should not always be the basis of an argument. As solid as facts appear to be, they are always testable. Any conclusions found should never be viewed as “final” (Kutroyatz). -
Shaping metatheoretical discussion
Political scientists look to Lakatos to guide discussion at American Political Science Association (APSA) Presidential Address. He suggested that using absolute paradigms would manifest “pseudo intellectual garbage” (Walker). -
Criticism and Methodology
He released a paper "Criticism and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes" further illustrating that holding on to single concrete ideas.
“It is not that we propose a theory and Nature may shout NO; rather, we propose a maze of theories, and nature may shout INCONSISTENT". Below is a link to a video that outlines Lakatos' way of thinking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezJH8MTgTxQ
