Menyhért Palágyi
Encyclopedia
Menyhért Palágyi, in German Melchior or Meinhert Palagyi (16 December 1859, Paks
, Hungary
- 14 July 1924, Darmstadt
, Germany
) was a Hungarian
philosopher, mathematician
, and physicist
of Jewish descent (his original name was Silberstein). He was the elder brother of the Hungarian poet
Ludwig Palágy.
Palágyi presented new theory of space and time (1901), which had a certain similarity with the space-time formalism of Henri Poincaré
and Hermann Minkowski
in the context of special relativity
theory (e.g. Palagyi used the imaginary time coordinate it as the fourth dimension
of "space-time"). However, his philosophy had little in common with the physics of relativity theory. Therefore in 1914 he expressed his criticism of the theories of Albert Einstein
and Minkowski
. However, in a subsequent paper Max Born
showed that Palagyi's criticism was misguided.
Palagyi's concept of vital fantasy makes him an ancestor of cybernetic anthropology
. His theory of virtual movement forms the basis for different movement-therapeutic concepts. Palágyi also engaged in controversy with Edmund Husserl
.
Paks
Paks is a town in Tolna county, central Hungary, on the banks of the Danube River. Paks is the home of the only Hungarian nuclear power plant, which provides about 40% the country's electricity....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- 14 July 1924, Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) was a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
philosopher, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, and physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
of Jewish descent (his original name was Silberstein). He was the elder brother of the Hungarian poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Ludwig Palágy.
Palágyi presented new theory of space and time (1901), which had a certain similarity with the space-time formalism of Henri Poincaré
Henri Poincaré
Jules Henri Poincaré was a French mathematician, theoretical physicist, engineer, and a philosopher of science...
and Hermann Minkowski
Hermann Minkowski
Hermann Minkowski was a German mathematician of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, who created and developed the geometry of numbers and who used geometrical methods to solve difficult problems in number theory, mathematical physics, and the theory of relativity.- Life and work :Hermann Minkowski was born...
in the context of special relativity
Special relativity
Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...
theory (e.g. Palagyi used the imaginary time coordinate it as the fourth dimension
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
of "space-time"). However, his philosophy had little in common with the physics of relativity theory. Therefore in 1914 he expressed his criticism of the theories of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
and Minkowski
Minkowski
Minkowski is a surname, and may refer to:* Eugène Minkowski , French psychiatrist* Hermann Minkowski Russian-born German mathematician and physicist, known for:** Minkowski addition** Minkowski–Bouligand dimension...
. However, in a subsequent paper Max Born
Max Born
Max Born was a German-born physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 30s...
showed that Palagyi's criticism was misguided.
Palagyi's concept of vital fantasy makes him an ancestor of cybernetic anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. His theory of virtual movement forms the basis for different movement-therapeutic concepts. Palágyi also engaged in controversy with Edmund Husserl
Edmund Husserl
Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was a philosopher and mathematician and the founder of the 20th century philosophical school of phenomenology. He broke with the positivist orientation of the science and philosophy of his day, yet he elaborated critiques of historicism and of psychologism in logic...
.
Works
- Madách Imre élete és költészete (I. Madachs Leben u. Dichtungen. Mit Portr. Von M. P.). Budapest: Athenaeum, 1900.
- Neue Theorie des Raumes und der Zeit. Die Grundbegriffe einer Metageometrie. Unveränd. reprogr. Nachdr. d. Ausg. Leipzig, Engelmanns Verlag, 1901. Darmstadt: Wiss. Buchges., 1967.
- Kant und Bolzano: Eine krit. Parallele. Halle a.S.: M. Niemeyer, 1902.
- Der Streit der Psychologisten und Formalisten in der modernen Logik. Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 1902.
- Die Relativitätstheorie in der modernen Physik. Vortrag gehalten auf dem 85. Naturforschertag in Wien. Berlin: G. Reimer, 1914.
- Zur Weltmechanik. Beiträge zur Metaphysik der Physik. Mit einem Geleitwort von Ernst Gehrcke. Leipzig. Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth. 1925
- Naturphilosophische Vorlesungen: Über die Grundprobleme des Bewusstseins und des Lebens. Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth 1924.
- Wahrnehmungslehre. Mit e. Einführung v. Dr. Ludwig Klages. Leipzig: Barth, 1925.