For and Against Method: Including Lakatos's Lectures on Scientific Method and the Lakatos-Feyerabend Correspondence

By Imre Lakatos and Paul Karl Feyerabend

Book Overview

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reply, For and Against Method reconstructs his original counter-arguments from lectures and correspondence previously unpublished in English, allowing us to enjoy the "fun" two of this century's most eminent philosophers had, matching their wits and ideas on the subject of the scientific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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226467759
• ISBN13: 9780226467757
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 459 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Opinionated and delightful

The tone throughout both Lakatos' lectures on scientific method and the correspondence is delightfully opinionated and full of contempt. Some examples will convey the flavour. Lakatos on intellectuals. "I happened to say that the Philosophical Section of the British Academy is a bunch of idiots ... and the British Academy itself, of which [Kneale] is vice-president, is a bunch of phonies, and also that I shall consider it an honour if I can die without having been elected as their Fellow. It was only then that I discovered that poor Bill Kneale regards it as the acme of his career to have become vice-president of the British Academy and I kicked him where it hurt most. After this clash, it occurred to me that Lionel Robbins was an actual president of the British Academy so I thought I should do an experiment and I went to him and told him that the British Academy consists almost exclusively of common fools. Somewhat to my surprise he said that he had lately come to suspect as much." (pp. 288-289; cf. also p. 92) Feyerabend on modern physicists. "The younger generation of physicists ... may be very bright ... but they are uncivilised savages, they lack in philosophical depth" (p. 385) "Good payment, good relations with the boss and colleagues ... are the chief aims of these human ants who excel in the solution of tiny problems but who cannot make sense of anything transcending their domain of competence." (p. 114) One of many Popper jokes. "My main problem is now a crack which has developed on the wall of the downstairs loo. ... I am now trying to get a big blow up picture of Sir Karl and put it there in a Victorian gilded frame." (Lakatos, p. 270) Lakatos on editors. "'Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge' was completely rewritten by a young woman at CUP ... I think that the woman who did it even mumbled something about making the style uniform ... [When] I found out that the book had been edited ... I ordered them to return the ms immediately and I solemnly burned the edited copy ... and told them to print the originals as I had sent it to them ... I also demanded her immediate dismissal" (p. 295-296)

For and Against Method - review

The book gives a good insight into Lakatos and Feyerabend views and ideas connected with the development and methodology of science, as well as illustrates the personalities of these two philosophers. The "Lakatos' Lectures on Scientific Method", mainly due to informal and illustrative language, is an easy to follow and understand piece of philisophic text.

a glimpse of what could've been....

This book is an excellent introduction to the two great philosophers of the latter half of the twentieth century, Imre Lakatos and Paul Feyerabend. In the enlightening and lucid lectures, Imre Lakatos comes off as the established logician whose views on the philosophy of science is marvelously comprehensible and original, and serves as a springboard for the correspondence. What surprised me was the natural humor and gaiety in the letters, that they promised to annihilate one another in the joint efforts at a book, and yet they could not stop talking about the women in their lives. In a way, the book is also an autobiography, a profile of the two proud and brilliant men and serves as an inside peek at their relationship. Kudos to the editors of this book. I recommend reading this book in order to get your feet wet before tackling on Lakatos' other books and Feyerabend's Against Method.

This book is a hoot

A very thoughtfully edited book by MM. The highlights are the correspondence between F & L and L's lectures on scientific method. If you enjoyed F's "Killing time" you will enjoy this book. In the correspondence, L & F discuss everything from work difficulties, depression, academia, Popper, to love affairs with their graduate students. A great memoir of two great philosophers of science.