Ernst Mally

Ernst Mally (11 October 1879 – 8 March 1944) was an Austrian analytic philosopher, initially affiliated with Alexius Meinong's Graz School of object theory. Mally was one of the founders of deontic logic and is mainly known for his contributions in that field of research. In metaphysics, he is known for introducing a distinction between two kinds of predication, better known as the dual predication approach. Mally was born in Kranj, Austria-Hungary. He studied philosophy under Alexius Meinong at the University of Graz. After obtaining his doctorate in 1903, he taught at a high school in Graz and worked as Meinong's assistant. In 1912, he published his habilitation thesis and earned his habilitation in 1913. He served in World War I and later joined the Greater German People's Party. In 1925, he took over Meinong's chair at the University of Graz. He became a member of the Nazi Party in 1938 and taught until his retirement in 1942. He died in 1944. Mally's work in deontic logic, attempting to axiomatize ethics, ultimately faced logical challenges pointed out by Karl Menger. His metaphysical contributions, particularly the dual predication approach and his realistic ontology, have influenced contemporary philosophers like Edward Zalta. A notable anecdote relates to the philosopher David Kellogg Lewis suggesting that the fictional poet Ern Malley was an allusion to Ernst Mally.