A short itinerary for the causality and determinism comprehension in Ernst Mach’s perspective

Abstract

In this essay the concepts of causality and determinism in Ernst Mach’s perspective are examined. An itinerary to deal with the main questions was composed with this aim. It is argued that Machian criticism of the concept of causality incites reflection on the role of language in scientific practice. The conceptual system inherent to causality language leads to a linear, one-sided and rigid vision of the relations between events. The moving away of the characteristic language of causal thought suggests the possibility of a more dynamic form of explanation. That would involve, in Machian perspective, the description of relationships of functional interdependence between events, both from a determinist point of view, searching the discovery of laws, as from an indeterminist point of view, considering the role of changes in this process. In this context it is concluded that determinism and indeterminism are rather perspectives of interpretation of facts than statements about the world’s functioning.