Ernst Mach

On February 19, 1966, the 50th anniversary of Ernst Mach's death is commemorated. This selection from his writings, framed by a portrayal of his life and work, aims to bring the thoughts of this thinker closer to the present. The recognition of his significance as a pioneer of modern physics, as a precursor of contemporary positivism, and the notion of "overcoming" his psychological positivism often relies more on second-hand knowledge of Mach than on reading his works. Both appreciation and criticism are valid. However, reading Mach remains worthwhile today, just like the works of other classics in science and philosophy. Mach's worldview has not lost its ethical value, just as the critique of Newtonian mechanics has not lost its scientific merit. His specialized scientific works are a part of the history of science. Mach himself did not attribute unchanging validity to the formulation of his thoughts, recognizing the nature of science. His historical thinking, rooted in the past, always pointed to better knowledge in the future. His ideas, inspired by Kant, are rooted in the great intellectual movement of the Enlightenment of the 18th century, thus epistemologically tracing back to David Hume, while his worldview and ethical stance also reveal this root. In this way, Ernst Mach forms a link in a chain that leads from Hume and other Enlightenment thinkers through Comte and Mill to the living empiricism of today. In the diversity of his specialized scientific productivity, he can only be compared to Helmholtz, belonging to a time that will never return.