Lakatos's Research Programs
Updated 2026-08-09
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Proposed by Imre Lakatos as an alternative to Popper's falsificationism and Kuhn's paradigms, the methodology treats science as a series of competing research programs. Each program has a hard core of assumptions that practitioners refuse to abandon, a protective belt of auxiliary hypotheses that absorbs anomalies, and a heuristic that guides problem solving. The core claim is that progress is judged by whether a program generates novel predictions. The qualification is that degenerating programs may persist for long periods before being abandoned.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use Core-Belt Split: Separate the principles you will not abandon from the tactics you are willing to revise. - Use Progress Test: Judge a program by whether it predicts new results rather than by whether it explains old ones. - Use Anomaly Handling: Adjust the protective belt to absorb counterexamples without touching the core.
Anchor fast decisions
Because a theoretical core cannot be tested in isolation, anomalies always strike the auxiliary assumptions first, so a program can absorb contrary evidence without collapsing. What distinguishes a healthy program is that its adjustments predict new phenomena and thereby extend its reach, while a degenerating one only patches problems after the fact. Progress is therefore assessed over a series of theories rather than by a single experiment.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imre_Lakatosverified
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