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7 - Ernst Mach and Friedrich Nietzsche

On the Prejudices of Scientists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2021

By
Pietro Gori
Edited by
John Preston
John Preston
Affiliation:
University of Reading
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Summary

The aim of this chapter is to provide a thorough account of the fact that Ernst Mach and Friedrich Nietzsche are often associated with each other in the specialised literature on the history of philosophy and the philosophy of science. I argue that the consistency which can be discovered between them is much more substantial than one may imagine. On the basis of their conception of knowledge and truth, it is possible to outline a complete parallelism between their approach to the issue concerning our intellectual relationship with the external world. In fact, Mach and Nietzsche dealt with the very same questions and indeed pursued a common general aim, namely the elimination of worn-out conceptions from the world of modern culture. Furthermore, I will maintain that Mach’s and Nietzsche’s research interests converge on the classic problem of realism versus anti-realism, and that it is in the light of this particular issue that their own views can be compared.

Keywords

Ernst MachRealismPhenomenalismPerspectivismScientific knowledge
Type
Chapter
Information
Interpreting Mach
Critical Essays
 , pp. 123 - 141
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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