# Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/proofs-and-refutations/

5 people recommended Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 12 months, in 4 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for showing how counterexamples refine definitions and sharpen proofs in mathematics.

Summary written by Claude from 4 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Described as an excellent, great book (3 comments in the sample): "I highly recommend Imre Lakatos' amazing book "Proofs and Refutations." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50270733)) "Lakatos' excellent book Proofs and Refutations" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48388145)) "Proofs and Refutations is a great book" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48544730))
- Counterexamples refine definitions and proofs (1 comment in the sample): "counterexamples in mathematics are really important and often help to refine definitions and sharpen proofs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48988936))

## Other mathematics books people recommend

- [Elements by Euclid by Oliver Byrne](https://hackerapproved.com/p/elements-of-euclid/): 14 recommend, 2 mixed, 9 criticize
- [Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fermat-s-last-theorem/): 11 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize
- [Gödel's Proof by Nagel and Newman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/g-del-s-proof/): 9 recommend, 0 mixed, 1 criticize
- [Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity by David Bessis](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mathematica-a-secret-world-of-intuition-and-curiosity/): 8 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos", https://hackerapproved.com/p/proofs-and-refutations/ (5 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 3 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.