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Imre Lakatos Born November 9, 1922, Debrecen, Hungary - Died February 2, 1974, London, England
Lakatos had a heck of a life! His Jewish grandparents were lost during WW2 in Auschwitz. He was a Communist at one point and part of Soviet Russia. He changed his name from Lipsitz to Lakatos to have a new identity. He was a political prisoner and once freed, fled to England where he dove into the world of Philosophy, Science, and Mathematics. Originally from Hungary. He wassomehwat influenced by Karl Marx's communist ideas but later changed his stand on government. He had an Orwellian outlook. -
Elaboration to Falsification
"Instead, science consists of long periods of “normal science”, paradigm-based research, where the task is to force nature to fit the paradigm. When nature refuses to comply, this is not seen as a refutation, but rather as an anomaly. It casts doubt, not on the ruling paradigm, but on the ingenuity of the scientists—“only the practitioner is blamed, not his tools”. Lakatos had a falling out with Popper in the 70's due to his own refutation of Falsifiability. He didnt disagree with Popper. -
Proofs and Refutations
This work is the Pinnacle of Lakatos' works, in my opinion. He discusses philosophy of science and mathematics. He goes into counterexamples within his book. In the form of a debate between a professor and his students. To provide sufficient counter examples you need to direct your argument to the premise of the initial argument. Improve on the proof whether it be to counter the proof and refute it or to enhance the results. I do like his philosophies. I think theyre direct and to the point. -
Methodologies of Scientific Research Programmes
In volume one of this work Lakatos makes great points of the effects of Isaac Newton"s works. Lakatos said "There is no falsification before the emergence of a better theory." Given How far we have come in science I would say thats a given! That has not always been the case though. Newton was able to use his math to predict the return of Halley's Comet. Down the line Albert Einstein was able to prove some of Newtons theories wrong. Lakatos uses that as one of the examples in this publication. -
Works
Imre Lakatos. Mathematics, Science, and Epistemology. Cambridge ; New York, Cambridge University Press, 1978.---. Proofs and Refutations. 1st ed., vol. I, Edinburgh, Nelson, 1964.Imre Lakatos, and Alan Musgrave. Problems in the Philosophy of Science : Proceedings of the International Colloquium in the Philosophy of Science, London, 1965, Volume 3. Amsterdam, North-Holland, 1968. Provided video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IitNh2mO6oI -
works cited
Musgrave, Alan, and Charles Pigden. “Imre Lakatos (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).” Stanford.edu, 2016, plato.stanford.edu/entries/lakatos/.