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178443

Mach's psychology of investigation and the limits of science

Katherine Arens

pp. 216-262

Abstract

As we have seen, the conceptual psychology which is the underlying paradigm for the latter nineteenth century stems from a synthesis of Empiricism and Idealism. Another name playing a role in this synthesis is Ernst Mach, an Austrian physicist, who is remembered for his delineations of the concept of "frame of reference" and the Doppler effect — that is, his work in scientific epistemology.1 Mach's reputation is that of the psychologist among physicists. His program ranges through the culture and history of the sciences as well, including: the history of science and its relativity,2 thought experiments (influencing ultimately even Einstein),3 Monism as a joint psychological and physical perspective on scientific investigation (especially in the circles around the journal The Monist),4 and the biological or economic adaptation of organisms — all topics at the core of Mach's psychological approach to the methodologies of science.

Publication details

Published in:

Arens Katherine (1989) Structures of knowing: psychologies of the nineteenth century. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 216-262

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-009-2641-7_7

Full citation:

Arens Katherine (1989) Mach's psychology of investigation and the limits of science, In: Structures of knowing, Dordrecht, Springer, 216–262.