Philosophy lecturer’s book wins second accolade

Established in 1980, The Lakatos Award is given annually for an outstanding contribution to the philosophy of science and is seen as the major prize for academic monographs in philosophy of science.

The prize is presented by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and is named in memory of former LSE Professor Imre Lakatos.

'The Brain Abstracted', provides an “opinionated” history of neuroscience arguing that, due to the brain's complexity, neuroscientific theories have only captured partial truths—and “neurophilosophy” is unlikely to be achieved.

The selectors of the award described the book as “strikingly ambitious and original, offering a coherent picture of the nature of science and its relation to the world, metaphysics and epistemology, all developed in the context of a sophisticated and highly informed account of the history and current practice of neuroscience”, and as a work which “both articulates a novel, very attractive general philosophy of science – haptic realism – and presents detailed, informative accounts of case studies. It thus excels both at the general and at the particular level.”

Dr Chirimuuta’s win represents the school’s second recent success in the Lakatos prize with Prof Michela Massimi’s book “Perspectival Realism” winning the prize in 2023.

• Dr Mazviita Chirimuuta
• The Brain Abstracted by Dr Mazviita Chirimuuta
• PPLS Podcast - Episode 4: The Brain Abstracted
• Are Neuroscientists Simplifying And Misleading Us About The Human Brain | M. Chirimuuta
• Brain Inspired – The Brain Abstracted
• Philosophy Professor’s Book Wins Prestigious Lakatos Award