Heuristic Heuristic - a word used both as a noun and an adjective, in both cases to refer to a technique or proposal which is used as a device for finding out more about the field of study in question (Greek ‘heurisko meaning

The model proved a fruitful heuristic device - that is to say, it promoted further exploration, and allowed various predictions to be made and tested. As a result of that work, earlier models - from Democritus to Rutherford - have long since been

hypotheses and a positive heuristic for the expansion of the auxiliary hypotheses into new domains of data. To avoid circularity and relativism, Lakatos provides external criteria for choosing among competing research programs. A