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.

'An important addition to the literature on modern philosophy and the philosophy of science … Recommended.' J. R. Shook, Choice Magazine

John Preston is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading. He is the author of Feyerabend: Philosophy, Science and Society (1997) and Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: A Reader's Guide (2008). He edited the third volume of Feyerabend's Philosophical Papers and co-edited The Worst Enemy of Science?: Essays in Memory of Paul Feyerabend (with Gonzalo Munévar and David Lamb, 2000).