Tis the Gift to Be Simple

A Retrospective Appreciation of Mach's the Science of Mechanics 1

Bibliographic Data

ID10255266
AuthorsM Jackson Marr (Georgia Institute of Technology, corresponding author)
Year1985
Volume44
Issue1
Pages129-138
Publication date1985-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-5002 • E-ISSN: 1938-3711
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1901/jeab.1985.44-129
OpenAlexW2134248572
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

Ernst Mach (1838Mach ( -1916) ) was one of the most influential figures of the 19th century and led the way for the development of a scientific framework for both physics and psychology in the 20th century (Blackmore, 1972).His ex- perimental contributions ranged from gas dynamics to psychophysics, but his formulation of the nature and goals of the scientific enter- prise was to be the most stimulating and con- troversial of his creations.Mach, as a repre- sentative of the positivist movement and as a phenomenalist, gets little attention these days.When his name does appear in the literature concerned with the history and philosophy of science, the criticism he receives is often harsh and is not always enlightened (e.g., Bunge, 1979; d'Abro, 1951; Lindsay & Margenau, 1981; Toraldo di Francia, 1981).There are, however, major exceptions to these trends (Cohen & Seeger, 1970;Laudan, 1981).Of his very large output of books, relatively few of which are now available in English, The Science of Mechanics must rank first in its influ- ence on subsequent developments in physics in particular and the tenor of scientific formula- tion in general.The issues raised in this book provided both stimulation for further positivistic developments (e.g., logical positivism) and a persisting focus for reactions against such 'Mach, E. (

Atlanta · Behavioral and Psychological Studies · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills

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