Imre Lakatos

By jackbal

  • Birth

    Imre Lakatos was born November 9, 1922 in Debrecen, Hungary.

  • Graduated from University of Debrecen

    Lakatos obtained his degree in mathmatics, physics, and philosophy.
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  • Obtained PhD in Philosophy

    After receiving a Rockefeller Fellowship, Lakatos obtained his PhD from Cambridge with "Essays in the Logic of Mathematical Discovery", which he wrote under the supervision of R.B. Braithwaite.
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    Lectured at the London School of Economics

    Lakatos lectured in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method beginning in 1960. LSE has many audio files from his time there.
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  • Provided a Counterexample to Euler's Thesis

    Provided a Counterexample to Euler's Thesis
    Euler had a thesis that said, in regards to regular polyhedra, V - E + F = 2. Lakatos provided the counterexample: a solid bounded by a pair of nested cubes, one of which is inside, but does not touch the other. In this case, V - E + F = 4. Image Source
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    Wrote "Proofs and Refutations"

    Lakatos wrote a critique of "formalist" philosophies of mathematics, which he believed "misrepresented the nature of mathematics as an intellectual enterprise". He also believed mathematics to be a "rational affair". Lakatos said that "proofs" and "refutations" are not truly proofs and refutations at all.
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  • Became Professor of Logic

    Imre Lakatos became LSE's Professor of Logic in 1969. During his time there, he was an opponent of Marxism and played a prominent part in opposing the socialist student radicals. He argued passionately against the politicization of scholarship.
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  • Wrote "Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes”

    Wrote "Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes”
    Imre Lakatos attempted to reconcile Karl Popper's falsificationism with Thomas Kuhn’s model of scientific theory change. His major contribution to the philosophy of science was this idea of a scientific research programme. "He devised a research programme consisting of ‘hard core’, emphasizing on evaluating a research program as ‘progressive’ or ‘degenerative’, instead of analyzing whether the hypothesis is true or false."
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  • Gave a talk on BBC radio about Science and Pseudoscience

    Science and Pseudoscience, Lakatos in 1973

  • Death

    Death
    Imre Lakatos died of a heart attack in 1974 at the age of 51.
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  • Legacy: Lakatos Award

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