ALT: a man is crawling on the ground in a video game while a monster attacks him .

Once upon a time, when it was said that science self-corrects, the image was of a relatively unified culture, a body of practices guided by shared norms of disinterested inquiry.

We extend Lakatos’s classical dichotomy of research programmes—progressive vs. degenerative—by introducing a neutral third category: the stagnant research programme. First, a critical examination of the primary literature with its often criticized definitional gaps justifies such a category. By deriving general criteria for stagnation, we clearly distinguish stagnant programmes from those that are progressive or degenerative. An empirical cross-check is subsequently employed for support: Both a series of examples from fundamental physics and a general analysis of today’s research landscape also suggest on an empirical level the need to go beyond the traditional Lakatosian conception. Attributing stagnation is entirely in line with Lakatos’ original intentions, which aimed not to hastily discard promising research but to exercise patience until the lifting of certain external constraints potentially enables empirical progress once again.

Negotiations over whether to honour 1.4 per cent increase ongoing at several other institutions amid financial crunch

New analysis by The Australia Institute reveals there is no financial crisis at the Australian National University.

System justification theory (SJT) assumes that social identity theory (SIT) cannot fully account for system justification by members of low-status (disadvantaged) groups. Contrary to this claim, we...

Labour will use a proposed levy on UK universities’ international student fees to fund means-tested maintenance grants for domestic students.