Hölder, Mach, and the Law of the Lever: A Case of Well-founded Non-controversy
Abstract
Otto Hölder’s reply to Mach’s renowned critique of the Archimedean proof of the Law of the Lever is analyzed and contextutalized as part of Hölder’s epistemological theory. The proof of the Law of the Lever provided for Hölder a case study on deduction in mechanics. He developed in it an original understanding of proof as a constructive, synthetical process leading to higher order concepts. This enabled him to avoid the view held by Mach that proof can only lead to analytic truths, and to defend Archimedes against Mach’s critique.