Hayek, Mach, and the re-ordering of mind

Abstract

This paper argues that Friedrich A. v. Hayek's theory of mind and the relation between mental and physical events, most systematically presented in his 1952 book, The Sensory Order, is indebted to Ernst Mach's theory, and, in particular, to his Analysis of Sensations, above and beyond what Hayek himself along with multiple admirers of his work ever cared to admit. By highlighting a number of important similarities between Mach's and Hayek's theories of the psychical/phenomenal and physical world/order, the paper aims to show that key aspects of Hayek's theory of mind can be traced to Mach's theoretical foundations. The paper further argues that some of the criticisms Hayek levels against Mach concern nonessential points, arise from the uncritical acceptance of common misinterpretations of Mach's theory, or are plainly wrong.

Keywords:

• Hayek
• Mach
• theory of mind
• mental and physical order

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

¹ Mach's Analysis of Sensations was first published in German in 1886 and translated into English the year after. All references in this paper are from the 5th English edition of 1914. All emphasis is in the original if not stated otherwise.