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Ernst Mach's Life span
Ernst Mach was a major contributor to physics, philosophy, physiological psychology. In physics, he discovered the speed of sound. In philosophy, he is considered to be the one that bridged the gap between philosophy and science creating the philosophy of science. In psychology, he studied the effects of external stimuli have on our internal senses. These are just a few of his key contributions in each area. -
How did Mach combine philosophy and science?
Mach compares the growth of science to that of nature. He talked of it in terms of animals and earlier human. At first, things are done out of instinct, and then comes learned behaviors, and then knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. The same can be said for science. His overall philosophy of science was that all knowledge should be sensed, perceived, or observed. -
Helped push the Verifiability Theory of Meaning
Mach was a firm believer that all things should be verifiable. If they couldn't be verifiable, or proven false, then they were useless. Essentially, science should be measurable and observable. This philosophy of science still holds true to this day. -
Economic views of Science
Mach believed that science should be integrated into every facet of human life. To have an economic viewpoint of science meant that science has become second nature to all living things. Similar to how humans need some sort of economy as it is essential to our survival, Mach believed that science should also become essential to our survival. To continue learning and striving for the best of humanity and integrating science into every facet of life. -
Paved the way for Einstein's Theory of Relativity
Mach rejected Newtons Theory of Gravity which stated "absolute space" and "absolute motion." Mach rejected this stated that absolute motion could not be observed and absolute space is invisible. Mach eventually rejected the Einstein's ToR that it went beyond what could be sensed. Even though Einstein's theory didn't satisfy all of mach's requirements, at the time, eventually Einstein and other physicist were able to directly observe and prove with mathematical equations Einstein's theory. -
Mach's Popular Works
Mach, Ernst. The Analysis of Sensations, and the Relation of the Physical to the Psychical, by Dr. Ernst Mach ... Translated from the 1st German Edition by C.M. Williams; Revised and Supplemented from the 5th German Edition by Sydney Waterlow. Open Court Publishing Company, 1914, 1914. Mach, Ernst. Popular Scientific Lectures, by Ernst Mach ... Tr. by Thomas McCormack. Open Court Publishing Company; For sale by K. Paul, Trench, Truebner & Co., 1898, 1898. -
Mach's Popular Works Cont'd
Finding a lot of Ernst Mach's popular works has proven to be challenging. Mach has written a few books but for the most part has preferred lectures or shorter papers. What has been written has also needed to be translated and re-published which has skewed my MLA citations. -
Ernst Mach Life