Wittgenstein’s World of Mechanics

Including Transcriptions of Lectures by Wittgenstein’s Teacher Joseph Petzoldt and Related Texts on Mechanics
2006
ISBN: 978-3-211-32816-3
Verlag: Springer Wien

Buch, Englisch, 220 Seiten, Book, Gewicht: 1110 g

Ludwig Wittgenstein refers to Heinrich Hertz as one of his major influences. However, up to now it was not clear from where he acquired his knowledge of mechanics and in which way it contributed to his philosophy. The aim of this book is to answer these questions. It shows that Wittgenstein came in contact with Hertz’s physical world view during his studies in Berlin. It had an effect on his view of the natural sciences in the Tractatus, and Hertz's conception of mass-particles led to its central notion of a simple object. It was especially Wittgenstein’s teacher in Berlin, Joseph Petzoldt, who played an important intermediary role. The manuscript of his 1907 course of lectures "Grundbegriffe der Mechanik" is published here for the first time. It is complemented by reprints of related texts on the topic by Neumann, Lange and Petzoldt.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Grasshoff, Gerd

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface.- Graßhoff, G., From a Lonely Mass-Particle to Wittgenstein’s Theory of Symbolism in the Tractatus: Sources of Inspiration; Wittgenstein at the Technische Hochschule Charlottenburg; Hertz’s Principles of Mechanics: A General Theory of the Physical World; Wittgenstein’s World of Mechanics; References.- Petzoldt, J., Grundbegriffe der Mechanik: Transcript; Facsimile.- Petzoldt, J., Die Gebiete der absoluten und der relativen Bewegung.- Lange, L., Ueber die wissenschaftliche Fassung des Galilei’schen Beharrungsgesetzes.- Lange, L., Nochmals über das Beharrungsgesetz.- Lange, L., Über das Beharrungsgesetz und seine Aufklärung vermittelst des methodologischen Princips der particularen Determination.- Neumann, C., Ueber die Principien der Galilei-Newton’schen Theorie.

Über Autor(innen)

Gerd Graßhoff studied physics, mathematics, philosophy and the history of the natural sciences at the universities of Bochum, Hamburg and Oxford. Has, since 1999, held the Berne University Chair of the Theory and History of Science and been director of the university’s Institute of Philosophy.