Interpreting Mach
Interpreting Mach
This volume presents new essays on the work and thought of physicist, psychologist, and philosopher Ernst Mach. Moving away from previous estimations of Mach as a pre-logical positivist, the essays reflect his rehabilitation as a thinker of direct relevance to debates in the contemporary philosophies of natural science, psychology, metaphysics, and mind. Topics covered include Mach's work on acoustical psychophysics and physics; his ideas on analogy and the principle of conservation of energy; the correct interpretation of his scheme of 'elements' and its relationship to his 'historical-critical' method; the relationship of his thought to movements such as American pragmatism, realism, and neutral monism, as well as to contemporary figures such as Friedrich Nietzsche; and the reception and influence of his works in Germany and Austria, particularly by the Vienna Circle.
- Presents the most recent thinking on the work of Ernst Mach, its reception, and its implications
- Features essays on Mach's wide range of scientific, philosophical and psychological activities
- Corrects misperceptions about how Mach's work was received by figures in the pragmatist, analytical, and logical positivist movements
Reviews & endorsements
‘An important addition to the literature on modern philosophy and the philosophy of science … Recommended.’ J. R. Shook, Choice Magazine
Product details
November 2022Paperback
9781108463287
299 pages
227 × 151 × 16 mm
0.45kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction: A New Mach for a New Millennium John Preston
- 1. Ernst Mach's Piano and the Making of a Psychophysical Imaginarium Alexandra Hui
- 2. Mother's Milk, and More: On the Role of Ernst Mach's Relational Physics in the Development of Einstein's Theory of Relativity Richard Staley
- 3. Meaningful Work: Ernst Mach on Energy Conservation Daan Wegener
- 4. Mach on Analogy in Science S. G. Sterrett
- 5. Ernst Mach's Enlightenment Pragmatism: History and Economy in Scientific Cognition Thomas Uebel
- 6. On the Philosophical and Scientific Relationship between Ernst Mach and William James Alexander Klein
- 7. Ernst Mach and Friedrich Nietzsche: On the Prejudices of Scientists Pietro Gori
- 8. Abstraction, Pragmatism, and History in Mach's Economy of Science Lydia Patton
- 9. Holding the Hand of History: Mach on the History of Science, the Analysis of Sensations, and the Economy of Thought Luca Guzzardi
- 10. Ernst Mach and the Vienna Circle: A Re-evaluation of the Reception and Influence of his Work Friedrich Stadler
- 11. Narratives Divided: The Austrian and the German Mach Michael Stöltzner
- 12. Phenomenalism, or Neutral Monism, in Mach's Analysis of Sensations? John Preston
- 13. The Case for Mach's Neutral Monism Erik C. Banks.
