Imre Lakatos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Imre Lakatos
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Lakatos, c. 1960s
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| Born | 9 November 1922 Debrecen, Hungary
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| Died | 2 February 1974 (aged 51) London, England
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| Education | University of Debrecen (PhD, 1948) Moscow State University University of Cambridge (PhD, 1961) |
| Era | 20th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Analytic philosophy Historical turn Fallibilism Mathematical quasi-empiricism Historiographical internalism |
| Institutions | London School of Economics |
| Thesis | Essays in the Logic of Mathematical Discovery (1961) |
| Doctoral advisor | R. B. Braithwaite |
| Other academic advisors | Sofya Yanovskaya |
| Doctoral students | Donald A. Gillies Spiro Latsis John Worrall |
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Main interests
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Philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of science, history of science, epistemology, politics |
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Notable ideas
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Method of proofs and refutations, methodology of scientific research programmes, methodology of historiographical research programmes, positive vs. negative heuristics, progressive vs. degenerative research programmes, rational reconstruction, mathematical quasi-empiricism, criticism of logical positivism and formalism, sophisticated falsificationism |
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Influenced
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Imre Lakatos (9 November 1922 – 2 February 1974) was a Hungarian philosopher. He focused on the philosophy of mathematics and the philosophy of science. He is known for his idea that mathematics can be improved over time. He also created the concept of a "research programme" in science.
Contents
Life Story
Imre Lakatos was born in Debrecen, Hungary, in 1922. His birth name was Imre Lipsitz. He earned degrees in mathematics, physics, and philosophy in 1944.
During World War II, when the Germans occupied Hungary, Lakatos changed his last name to Molnár. This helped him avoid persecution. Later, he changed his name again to Lakatos.
After the war, he worked for the Hungarian government. He continued his studies, earning a PhD in 1948. He also studied in Moscow in 1949. However, he faced political difficulties and was imprisoned from 1950 to 1953.
After his release, Lakatos returned to academic work. He translated a famous math book, How to Solve It, into Hungarian. He also became involved with student groups leading up to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
When the Soviet Union invaded Hungary in 1956, Lakatos left the country. He moved to England and lived there for the rest of his life. In 1961, he earned another PhD in philosophy from the University of Cambridge. His thesis was about how mathematical discoveries are made. This work later became his famous book, Proofs and Refutations: The Logic of Mathematical Discovery.
In 1960, he started working at the London School of Economics (LSE). There, he wrote about the philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science. He worked with other important philosophers like Karl Popper.
Lakatos passed away suddenly in 1974 at age 51. The Lakatos Award was created at LSE to honor his contributions to the philosophy of science.
Ideas on Philosophy
How Mathematics Develops
Lakatos's ideas about mathematics were influenced by Hegel, Marx, and Karl Popper. He also learned from the mathematician George Pólya.
His book Proofs and Refutations (published in 1976) is based on his PhD work. It uses a fictional dialogue in a math class. The students try to prove a formula about polyhedra (3D shapes). This formula states that for any polyhedron, the number of its vertices (corners) minus its edges plus its faces equals 2 (V − E + F = 2).
The dialogue shows how mathematicians historically tried to prove this idea. They often found counterexamples, which Lakatos called monsters. These "monsters" were shapes that didn't fit the formula.
Lakatos explained three ways to deal with these "monsters":
- Monster-barring: Saying the rule doesn't apply to these specific shapes.
- Monster-adjustment: Changing how you define the "monster" so it fits the rule.
- Exception handling: Simply noting the exceptions.
Lakatos wanted to show that no mathematical idea is ever completely finished or perfect. When a counterexample is found, mathematicians adjust their ideas. This process of "proofs and refutations" helps our knowledge grow. He believed that mathematical "thought experiments" are a good way to discover new ideas. He called his philosophy "quasi-empiricism" because it was like learning from experience.
Scientific Research Programmes
Lakatos's second big idea was the "research programme." He created this to solve a problem between two other philosophers, Karl Popper and Thomas Samuel Kuhn. Popper thought scientists should abandon a theory as soon as it's challenged. Kuhn said scientists often stick to theories even with problems.
Lakatos's research programme has a "hard core" of basic ideas. These ideas cannot be changed without giving up the whole programme. There are also "auxiliary hypotheses" (smaller theories) that protect the "hard core." These smaller theories can be changed or abandoned if new evidence comes up.
Lakatos argued that changing these smaller theories can be a good thing. He called it "progressive" if it helps the programme explain or predict more. If changes are made just to avoid problems without adding new understanding, it's "degenerative." A "degenerative" programme means it's time to look for a better scientific idea.
For example, Isaac Newton's three laws of motion formed the "hard core" of a successful research programme.
Lakatos believed that scientists often work within a framework of shared "first principles." This is similar to Kuhn's idea of a "paradigm." But Lakatos wanted to show that this process is logical, not just based on what people believe.
He said that when nature "shouts NO" to a theory, it's not just one theory. Instead, "we propose a maze of theories, and nature may shout INCONSISTENT." Scientists don't just throw out a theory. They look for a less false or more progressive theory to replace it. A theory isn't truly "falsified" until a better one comes along.
Lakatos also talked about "negative heuristics" and "positive heuristics."
- Negative heuristics are rules about what research methods to avoid. They protect the "hard core."
- Positive heuristics are rules about what research methods to prefer. They guide how the programme develops.
He believed that changes to a research programme should not just explain old problems. They should also predict new facts or offer more explanations. If they don't, the programme is becoming "degenerative."
What is Pseudoscience?
Lakatos had a way to tell the difference between science and pseudoscience. He said a theory is pseudoscientific if it doesn't predict any new things. Or, if its predictions are mostly proven wrong. Scientific theories, on the other hand, predict new facts that are then confirmed.
He gave examples of what he considered pseudoscience:
- Ptolemy's astronomy (old idea of Earth at the center).
- Freudian psychoanalysis (a type of therapy).
- Astrology (predicting the future from stars).
- Some parts of Niels Bohr's quantum mechanics after 1924.
In 1973, he also questioned if Darwin's theory of evolution could be called scientific by his rules. However, later, another philosopher, Helena Cronin, argued that Darwin's theory is indeed scientific. She showed how it is supported by evidence of similarities in life forms.
History of Science
Lakatos believed that understanding the history of science is very important for understanding the philosophy of science. He famously said: "Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind." He meant that you can't study how science works without looking at its past. And you can't understand the past of science without a way to think about how science progresses.
Criticism
Paul Feyerabend, another philosopher and friend of Lakatos, disagreed with some of his ideas. Feyerabend argued that Lakatos's method was not a strict method at all. He felt it was too flexible, similar to his own view called "epistemological anarchism." This view suggests there are no fixed rules for how science should work.
Lakatos and Feyerabend had planned to write a book together. Lakatos would explain his rational view of science, and Feyerabend would challenge it. Their discussions about this project have been published.
See also
Template:Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Imre Lakatos para niños
- Scientific community metaphor, an approach to programming influenced by Lakatos's work on research programmes
- List of Soviet and Eastern Bloc defectors
- Lakatos Award set up in memory of him
