O The Monist: Ostwald’s Energetics worldview

Abstract

This work is a review of an important, but generally unknown, article in philosophy of science entitled “The Monist” (1907), by the Germanic Latvian chemist: Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald (1853 - 1932), considered the father of physic-chemistry. In this paper the author argues in favor of his doctrine of Energetics, a non-dualistic world view that could offer science a unique philosophical foundation for all disciplines, unifying not only physics and chemistry, but also biology, sociology and psychology. Adopting a paradoxically instrumentalist and realistic point of view at the same time, the philosopher-chemist asks questions that are still open to science in the future.