Imre LakatosCambridge University PressEdition: Reissue, 10/15/2015EAN 9781107534056, ISBN10: 1107534054Paperback, 196 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.1 cmLanguage: EnglishImre Lakatos's Proofs and Refutations is an enduring classic, which has never lost its relevance. Taking the form of a dialogue between a teacher and some students, the book considers various solutions to mathematical problems and, in the process, raises important questions about the nature of mathematical discovery and methodology. Lakatos shows that mathematics grows through a process of improvement by attempts at proofs and critiques of these attempts, and his work continues to inspire mathematicians and philosophers aspiring to develop a philosophy of mathematics that accounts for both the static and the dynamic complexity of mathematical practice. With a specially commissioned Preface written by Paolo Mancosu, this book has been revived for a new generation of readers.Preface to this edition Paolo MancosuEditors' prefaceAcknowledgmentsAuthor's introductionPart I1. A problem and a conjecture2. A proof3. Criticism of the proof by counterexamples which are local but not global4. Criticism of the conjecture by global counterexamples5. Criticism of the proof-analysis by counterexamples which are global but not local. The problem of rigour6. Return to criticism of the proof by counterexamples which are local but not global. The problem of content7. The problem of content revisited8. Concept-formation9. How criticism may turn mathematical truth into logical truthPart IIEditors' introductionAppendix 1. Another case-study in the method of proofs and refutationsAppendix 2. The deductivist versus the heuristic approachBibliographyIndex of namesIndex of subjects.
