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Birth
Imre Lakatos was born in Debrecen, eastern Hungary on November 9th, 1922. -
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Education and Early Adulthood
After enrolling in Debrecen University in 1940 at age 18, Lakatos graduated with a degree in Physics, Mathematics, and Philosophy in 1944. This same year the Germans invaded Hungary. As a Jew and an active communist during his time at university, he changed his traditional last name to Molnár and fled his homeland for Nagváryad (an area in modern-day Romania) to avoid persecution and genocide. -
Proofs and Refutations
In 1963, Imre Lakatos' first major work Proofs and Refutations was published in the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. Written as a fictitious dialogue between teacher and students, he postulated that mathematics is not founded in logic or set theory and emphasized a growth model as opposed to an accumulative progress in mathematics. Musgrave, Alan, and Charles Pigden. Imre Lakatos. 4 Apr. 2016, plato.stanford.edu/entries/lakatos/. -
Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes
In 1970, Lakatos wrote the Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes. This served to reconcile Popper’s falsificationism with Thomas Kuhn's views on scientific theory change. He principled that scientists work in research programmes defined by an inner core of steadfast laws and an outer “protective belt” of auxiliary hypotheses. A video on Lakatos' and Kuhn's thinking on the nature of science:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VExVaR8S_wQ -
Death
Imre Lakatos passed away in London on February 2nd, 1974 at the age of 51. -
The Lakatos Award
In 1986 the Lakatos Award was created to recognize an individual who has contributed to the philosophy of science. The London School of Economics oversees the selection process and with funding provided by the Latsis Foundation, £10,000 is awarded to the winner.
