Imre Lakatos on Identifying the Problems of Demarcation and the Growth of Science

Abstract

Imre Lakatos, identifying the problems of demarcation and the growth of science, argues that it is necessary to assess not the separate theories but the changes taking place in the scientific mosaic. The steps which contribute to the increase of the empirical content, are considered to be progressive, i.e. scientific, while the steps that reduce the empirical content are considered to be regressive, i.e. non-scientific.