Interpreting Mach
Critical Essays
Published on 3. March 2021
302 pages
978-1-108-64908-7 (ISBN)
Description
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.
Reviews / Votes
'An important addition to the literature on modern philosophy and the philosophy of science ... Recommended.' J. R. Shook, Choice MagazineMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
File size
9,31 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-108-64908-7 (9781108649087)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
11/2022
Cambridge University Press
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Book
03/2021
Cambridge University Press
€105.50
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Person
Content
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 Stoeltzner; 12. Phenomenalism, or Neutral Monism, in Mach's Analysis of Sensations? John Preston; 13. The Case for Mach's Neutral Monism Erik C. Banks.
