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Imre Lakatos

  • Born

    Imre Lakatos was born in Debrecen, Hungary
  • Work

    Imre, worked as a senior official in the Hungarian ministry of education. He also continued his education with a PhD at Debrecen University awarded in 1948
  • Period: to

    Imprisoned

    Imre was charges of revisionism. Preceding his fleeing to Vienna he confessed he has worked as an informer of State Protection Authority.
  • Work

    Imre was hired at the London School of Economics as an assistant lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, where he wrote extensively on the philosophy of science and philosophy of mathematics.
  • PhD

    He received a PhD in philosophy, from the University of Cambridge
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    Writing

    While studying at Cambridge, he compiled a doctoral thesis ‘Essays in the Logic of Mathematical Discovery’, which was published in four parts as ‘Proofs and Refutations’ in ‘The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science’ in 1963-64.
  • Contribution

    One of his major contribution to the philosophy of science was his model of the "research program" which he formulated in an attempt to resolve the perceived conflict between Popper's falsificationism and the revolutionary structure of science described by Kuhn.
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    Work

    He became editor of the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science and he continued as editor until his death.
  • Death

    He died unexpectedly after suffering a heart attack, at the age of 51, thus leaving several of his projects in the philosophy of mathematics and science incomplete.
  • Memory

    The London School of Economics introduced the "Lakatos Award" in his memory, which is given to candidates making exceptional contributions to the philosophy of science.