Proofs and Refutations
Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatosby Imre Lakatos
Shares rank 10 of 19 mathematics books by recommenders
Recommended for showing how counterexamples refine definitions and sharpen proofs in mathematics.
5 people recommended Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 4 comments.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 3 of 12 months
In 4 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 4 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- The biggest thread supplies 40% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 4 of the 5 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Described as an excellent, great book
“I highly recommend Imre Lakatos' amazing book "Proofs and Refutations.”
Comment from 28 Oct 2026 in “Three new discoveries in mathematics, computer science, and physics” “Lakatos' excellent book Proofs and Refutations”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “Mathematicians issue warning as AI rapidly gains ground” “Proofs and Refutations is a great book”
Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Copper transport drug restores memory and clears toxic Alzheimer's proteins” Counterexamples refine definitions and proofs
“counterexamples in mathematics are really important and often help to refine definitions and sharpen proofs”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “Human mathematicians are being outcounterexampled”
Other mathematics books people recommend
The four most recommended other mathematics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elements by Euclidby Oliver Byrne | 14 | 2 | 9 | 61% | 8 | — | — |
| Fermat's Last Theoremby Simon Singh | 11 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Gödel's Proofby Nagel and Newman | 9 | 0 | 1 | 90% | 2 | — | — |
| Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosityby David Bessis | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Proofs and Refutationsby Imre LakatosThis page | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 5 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I highly recommend Imre Lakatos' amazing book "Proofs and Refutations.”
“counterexamples in mathematics are really important and often help to refine definitions and sharpen proofs”
“Proofs and Refutations is a great book”
“Lakatos' excellent book Proofs and Refutations”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 3 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.