The work that helped to determine Paul Feyerabend's fame and notoriety, "Against Method," stemmed from Imre Lakatos's challenge: "In 1970 Imre cornered me at a party. "Paul", he said, "you have such strange ideas. Why don't you write them down? I shall write a reply, we publish the whole thing and I promise you - we shall have a lot of fun." Although Lakatos died before he could write his reply, this text reconstructs his original counter-arguments from lectures and correspondence previously unpublished in English, allowing us to enjoy the "fun" two of this century's most eminent philosophers had, matching their wits and ideas on the subject of the scientific method. The text opens with an imaginary dialogue between Lakatos and Feyerabend, which Matteo Motterlini has constructed, based on their published works, to synthesize their positions and arguments. Part one presents the transcripts of the last lectures on method that Lakatos delivered. Part two, Feyerabend's response, consists of a previously published essay on anarchism, which began the attack on Lakatos's position that Feyerabend later continued in "Against Method." The third and longest section consists of the correspondence Lakatos and Feyerabend exchanged on method and many other issues and ideas, as well as the events of their daily lives, between 1968 and Lakatos's death in 1974.

Royal Society, betrachtet die Hexentheorie als das Musterbeispiel empirischen Denkens. Wir mussen das empirische Denken definieren, ehe wir mit Hume anfangen, Bucher zu verbren nen. Das wissenschaftliche Denken konfrontiert die Theorien mit den Tatsachen; und eine der Hauptbedingungen dabei ist, dass die Theorien von den Tatsachen gestutzt sein mus sen. Wie ist das nun des genaueren moglich? Darauf sind mehrere verschiedene Antworten vorgeschlagen worden. Newton selbst glaubte, seine Gesetze aufgrundder Tatsachen bewiesen zu haben. Er war stolz darauf, keine blossen Hypothesen anzubieten; er veroffentlichte nur Theorien, die aufgrundder Tatsa chen bewiesen waren. Und zwar behauptete er, seine Gesetze aus den Keplerschen 'Erschei nungen' abgeleitet zu haben. Doch das war Unsinn, denn nach Kepler bewegten sich die Plane ten in Ellipsen, nach Newton aber ware das nur richtig, wenn die Planeten nicht gegenseitig ihre Bewegung storen wurden, und eben dies tun sie. Daher musste Newton eine Storungstheo rie entwickeln, nach der sich kein Planet auf einer Ellipse bewegt. Heute kann man leicht zeigen, dass sich kein Naturgesetz aus endlich vielen Tatsa chen schlussig ableiten lasst; doch man liest immer noch, wissenschaftliche Theorien wurden aufgrundder Tatsachen bewiesen. Woher kommt diese hartnackige Sperre gegen die elemen tare Logik? Das lasst sich sehr einleuchtend erklaren. Die Wissenschaftler mochten ihren Theorien Achtung verschaffen, sie sollen die Bezeichnung 'Wissenschaft' verdienen, also echte Erkenntnis sein. Nun bezog sich im 17. Jahrhundert, als die Wissenschaft entstand, die wichtigste Erkenntnis auf Gott und den Teufel, auf Himmel und Holle."

The work that helped to determine Paul Feyerabend's fame and notoriety, "Against Method, " stemmed from Imre Lakatos's challenge: "In 1970 Imre cornered me at a party. 'Paul, ' he said, 'you have such strange ideas. Why don't you write them down? I shall write a reply, we publish the whole thing and I promise you--we shall have a lot of fun.' " Although Lakatos died before he could write his reply, "For and Against Method" reconstructs his original counter-arguments from lectures and correspondence previously unpublished in English, allowing us to enjoy the "fun" two of this century's most eminent philosophers had, matching their wits and ideas on the subject of the scientific method.
"For and Against Method" opens with an imaginary dialogue between Lakatos and Feyerabend, which Matteo Motterlini has constructed, based on their published works, to synthesize their positions and arguments. Part one presents the transcripts of the last lectures on method that Lakatos delivered. Part two, Feyerabend's response, consists of a previously published essay on anarchism, which began the attack on Lakatos's position that Feyerabend later continued in "Against Method." The third and longest section consists of the correspondence Lakatos and Feyerabend exchanged on method and many other issues and ideas, as well as the events of their daily lives, between 1968 and Lakatos's death in 1974.
The delight Lakatos and Feyerabend took in philosophical debate, and the relish with which they sparred, come to life again in "For and Against Method, " making it essential and lively reading for anyone interested in these two fascinating and controversial thinkers and their immense contributions to philosophy of science.
"The writings in this volume are of considerable intellectual importance, and will be of great interest to anyone concerned with the development of the philosophical views of Lakatos and Feyerabend, or indeed with the development of philosophy of science in general during this crucial period."--Donald Gillies, "British Journal for the Philosophy of Science" (on the Italian edition)
"A stimulating exchange of letters between two philosophical entertainers."--Tariq Ali, "The Independent"
Imre Lakatos (1922-1974) was professor of logic at the London School of Economics. He was the author of "Proofs and Refutations" and the two-volume "Philosophical Papers." Paul Feyerabend (1924-1994) was educated in Europe and held numerous teaching posts throughout his career. Among his books are "Against Method"; "Science in a Free Society"; "Farewell to Reason"; and "Killing Time: The Autobiography of Paul Feyerabend," the last published by the University of Chicago Press.

Imre 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.

Lakatos, who died in 1974, was one of the outstanding younger philosophers of science. Volume 1 of this anthology offers papers on the physical sciences, including a previously unpublished essay on Newton. Volume 2 brings together work, much unpublished, on mathematics, together with critical essays on contemporary philosophy and some famous polemical writings on political and educational topics.

"An important collection of significant papers." American Scientist

Imre Lakatos’ philosophical and scientific papers are published here in two volumes. Volume I brings together his very influential but scattered papers on the philosophy of the physical sciences, and includes one important unpublished essay on the effect of Newton’s scientific achievement. Volume 2 presents his work on the philosophy of mathematics (much of it unpublished), together with some critical essays on contemporary philosophers of science and some famous polemical writings on political and educational issues.