On Compton’s Research Program

Abstract

When Imre Lakatos sent me a copy of his and Alan Musgrave’s Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge,¹ he inscribed it with the words: “With hopes for future cooperation and best wishes.” That future cooperation, to my very deep regret, never occurred owing to Imre’s sudden and premature death in February 1974. I know, however, what he had in mind. He wanted me to join with him in analyzing certain case studies in the history of physics in light of his methodology of scientific research programs. Furthermore, I know that one of the case studies Imre wanted to treat was my own on the discovery of the Compton effect, since I can vividly recall our discussing an early draft of my book, The Compton Effect: Turning Point in Physics,² after dinner at our home in Minneapolis in the fall of 1970. Now, however, collaboration is impossible. I therefore propose to simply summarize some of the highlights of Compton’s research program here, and to invite others to consider its possible relevancy to Imre’s methodology, or to philosophical-methodological questions in general. It goes without saying that if such connections seem to exist, my detailed study must be consulted to substantiate their existence, since my present discussion constitutes only a very rough and incomplete sketch of certain sections of my book.