Full Idea
For Mach, the laws of nature are simply the compendious record of sensory regularities, correlations of elements. Any additional concepts are no more than symbols or devices for the convenient recording of general sensory patterns.
Gist of Idea
Laws of nature are just records of regularities and correlations, with concepts to make recording them easier
Source
report of Ernst Mach (Popular Scientific Lectures [1894], pp.201-5) by Rom Harré - Laws of Nature 2
Book Reference
Harré,Rom: 'Laws of Nature' [Duckworth 1993], p.43
A Reaction
Mach is the high priest of scientific positivism, which is really just hard-line empiricism.
Related Idea
Idea 15867 Laws describe abstract idealisations, not the actual mess of nature [Harré]