The positive heuristic of the programme saves the scientist from becoming confused by the ocean of anomalies. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
Einstein’s results again turned the tables and now very few philosophers or scientists still think that scientific knowledge is, or can be, proven knowledge. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
Research programmes, besides their negative heuristic, are also characterized by their positive heuristic. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
The classical example of a successful research programme is Newton’s gravitational theory: possibly the most successful research programme ever. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
Blind commitment to a theory is not an intellectual virtue: it is an intellectual crime. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
Our empirical criterion for a series of theories is that it should produce new facts. The idea of growth and the concept of empirical character are soldered into one. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
If even in science there is no a way of judging a theory but by assessing the number, faith and vocal energy of its supporters, then this must be even more so in the social sciences: truth lies in power. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
The clash between Popper and Kuhn is not about a mere technical point in epistemology. Imre Lakatos Read Quote
