Imre Lakatos' philosophy of science is rooted in a number of different fields, not all of them purely scientific. During his years of education, he was influenced by mathematics and natural sciences as well as by philosophy, but the role of political ideologies also cannot be denied. His basic philosophical ideas — such as the rationality of science, the continual growth of knowledge, the social determinism of scientific activities, and the indispensable role of historical attitudes in the philosophy of science — are definitely in accordance with his early devotion to Marxism (and Lukátcs' philosophy), both in theory and in practice.