Kuhn and Lakatos week 4

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Kuhn and Lakatosweek 4

• Economic Methodology

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Thomas Kuhn
1922-1996
1962 (1st), 1970 (2nd)
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Autobiographic fragment

• Aristotle had been an acute and naturalistic
  observer. In such fields as biology or political
  behavior, his interpretations if phenomena had
  often been, in addition, both penetrating and
  deep. How could his characteristic talents have
  failed him so when applied to motion? How could
  he have said about it so many apparently absurd
  things? And, above all, why had his views been
  taken so seriously for so long a time by so many
  of his successors?

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No Growth of Knowledge
? time
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But Revolutions
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Paradigm

• 1483, from L.L. paradigma
• "pattern, example," especially
• in grammar, from Gk.paradeigma
• "pattern, model," from
• paradeiknynai "exhibit,
• represent," lit. "show side by
• side,
• from para- "beside" deiknynai
• "to show" (cognate with
• L. dicere "to show" (see diction).

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Gestalt-switch
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Pythagoras
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Incommensurable
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Attitude towards refutations

• What would Einstein have done had the eclipse
  experiment not agreed with relativity?
• Then I would feel sorry for the good Lord. The
  theory is correct!.

Albert Einstein and Sir Arthur Eddington
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Anomaly
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Reputation
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Normal Science

• Puzzle solving
• Norms
• Exemplars (paradigms)

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Imre Lakatos

• Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes 1970

1922-1974
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Methodology ofScientific Research Programmes
Negative heuristic hard core is
irrefutable Positive heuristic anomalies must
lead to changes only in the protective belt
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Progressive shifts
T1 ? T2 ? T3 ?
P1
P2
P3
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Rationality

• Choose the most progressive
• Theoretical progressive predicts/explains new
  facts
• Empirical progressive new facts are verified
• Degenerating not progressive