If even in science there is no a way of judging a theory but by assessing the number, faith and vocal energy of its supporters, then this must be even more so in the social sciences: truth lies in power.
Imre LakatosRead
It would be wrong to assume that one must stay with a research programme until it has exhausted all its heuristic power, that one must not introduce a rival programme before everybody agrees that the point of degeneration has probably been reached.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of being open to new research ideas and not sticking rigidly to a failing one.
Imre Lakatos suggests that researchers should not feel obligated to continue with a research program that is no longer yielding valuable insights. Instead, they should feel free to explore alternative theories or approaches even if there isn't unanimous agreement on the decline of their current research path. This encourages innovation and adaptability in the scientific process.
Themes
ResearchInnovationScienceAdaptabilityTheory
In practice
Example use cases
In a conference about scientific methodologies, this quote can be used to advocate for exploring new ideas.
More from Imre Lakatos
All quotes →No experimental result can ever kill a theory: any theory can be saved from counterinstances either by some auxiliary hypothesis or by a suitable reinterpretation of its terms.
Imre LakatosRead
Blind commitment to a theory is not an intellectual virtue: it is an intellectual crime.
Imre LakatosRead
Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind.
Imre LakatosRead
It is not that we propose a theory and Nature may shout NO; rather, we propose a maze of theories, and Nature may shout INCONSISTENT.
Imre LakatosRead
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