Lakatos and MacIntyre on Incommensurability and the Rationality of Theory-change ABSTRACT: Imre Lakatos' "methodology of scientific research programs" and Alasdair MacIntyre's "tradition-constituted enquiry" are two sustained attempts to overcome the assumptions of logical empiricism, while saving the appearance that theory-change is rational. The key difference between them is their antithetical stand on the issue of incommensurability between large-scale theories. This divergence generates
in elections and created their own government on the foundation of democratic principles. The Soviets had troops on the Hungarian border and were not concerned about assessing their control of Hungary until 1948. At that time the local favorite Imre Nagy and Laszlo Rajk were removed and replaced by the Stalin hardliner Rakoski. Rakoski asserted his absolute control over Hungary. He purged the communist party of Hungary of “Titotists” and forced indoctrination of Stalinism in the educational intuitions
One week before the revolution would occur, students broke away from the Party-sponsored youth organization DISZ and formed a radical independent student association openly opposed to the regime stirring the pot of revolution soup that was brewing in Hungary in 1956. Unlike the moderate Petofi Circle, the student groups were openly demanding satisfaction with their requests for change. The fundamental and structural changes they longed for were going to happen. One of the leaders of the student association
After the Second World War, the Soviet Union spread their political ideology among the countries of East Central Europe. Instantly, Josef Stalin spread Stalinization across each of the countries to assert Soviet control. He created totalitarian governments with limited freedoms for its citizens. Following the death of Stalin, the new leader of the Soviet Union, Nika Khrushchev, began changing the repressive policies of Stalin, opening the doors to the countries of East Central Europe to challenge
Imre Nagy, Premier of Hungary, responded to Stalin’s death and Khrushchev’s policies with attempts for reform that seemed anything but socialist. Nagy advocated for an increased development of agriculture and a reduction in what he considered to be “excessive industrialization,” (Nagy, 425). Going directly against Stalin’s policies, Nagy also believed that “Greater tolerance is to be shown in religious questions,” (Nagy, 426). Nagy’s views directly contradicted
Though both leaders were determined to end the cold war it became amazing that it intensified instead of reducing. It became clear that Khrushchev really meant “peaceful competition “instead of “peaceful coexistence” when he started visiting countries like Burma and Afghanistan to give them economic aid if they agreed to support Russia. As a result of the western allied powers forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Khrushchev responded to this by forming a military alliance of communist
Elena Gorokhova explains in her memoir that “The rules are simple: they lie to us, we know they're lying, they know we know they're lying, but they keep lying to us, and we keep pretending to believe them.” The novel, A Mountain of Crumbs, depicts the hopelessness, opression and deception of life behind the Iron Curtain during the 70s and 80s. Many rights of the people within the Soviet Union were violated and unacknowledged. In ages past, there were no human rights but the idea evolved after a while
Russia entered the 20th century as an oppressed tsarist state and the last of the Medieval European strongholds. The people were poor, starving and hopeless and, unlike the rest of Europe, had not experienced revolution. Eventually, however, a small group of revolutionaries emerged and overthrew the tsarist regime. Russia quickly devolved into anarchy and the resulting turmoil saw the rise of the Bolshevik Party and Vladimir Lenin. This was the beginning of the Russian Revolution, a prolonged event