Chocolate and Chess (Unlocking Lakatos)

Összefoglaló

Why were the secret services of countries on both sides of the Cold War divide interested in a philosopher with six names? Decades after his death, Imre Lakatos continues to be held in high esteem among scholars of the philosophy of science and mathematics. He won fame with his books and kudos from the Establishment for his stance on the Sixties' student revolt. He minded his p's and q's in the hope of gaining British citizenship, an honor denied. As a teacher he would pique students' interest, pick everyone's brains, but, on the private level, the prick of conscience eluded him. He put a premium on questioning, while exempting himself.
Based on previously classified counterintelligence and secret police archives, as well as numerous personal interviews, this book endeavors to fill gaps in the knowledge of both cognoscenti and counterspies. Chocolate and Chess explores various aspects of Mr. Lakatos' life and times, which, like the ocean in a drop, reveal much about the dark side of the 20th century and the atmosphere of an unsavory era.

About the author

Alexander Emmerich Bandy was born in Quedlinburg, Germany, in 1945. His childhood years were spent in Budapest and Vancouver. He held a number of blue-collar jobs and for a time was a community organizer. He also worked as an editor at a publishing house and, before his retirement, was an Associated Press correspondent, "with a ringside seat to observe the collapse of communism and its aftermath."