History & Systems Exam 3 French Persons to Know

Question 1

Philosophes

Answer 1

French Sensationalism Section

Voltaire, Rousseou, Others

Question 2

Etienne Bonnot de Condillac

Answer 2

French Priest!
“Traite des Sensations”
Was interested in Locke and Descartes, but then became interested in sensations alone.
Statue analogy: Smell, memory, comparison, ideas, desires, passion. Passions come from the senses!

Question 3

Charles Bonnet

Answer 3

French Swiss Philosopher/Naturalist
Studied animals.
Related to Nervous System as its basis
Every ‘sense’ is limited to specific fibers.
Says the statue has a nervous system with special “nerve fibers” and energies.

Question 4

Julien Offroy de La Mettrie

Answer 4

Materialist.
“L’homme Machine”
Matter had an active element, soul was material.
Motivation is ultimately seeking pleasure. People’s actions are meant for sensual gratification.

Question 5

Claude-Adrien Helvetius

Answer 5

De l’Esprit (On Intelligence)
The environment and how we react to it is what makes or breaks intelligence.
Environment explain Physiology which explains psychology.

Question 6

Pierre Jean Cabanis

Answer 6

French Material Philosopher
Not completely reductionist.
Central ego of the brain integrates and synthesizes sensory input.
Recognized consciounsness, unconsciousnless, and semi-consciousness.
Sensations are part of an entire system and the ego helps interpret it.

Question 7

Maine de Biran

Answer 7

French Voluntarist Philosopher
Used to be sensationalist.
Thought is a whole entity composed of distinct processes, but not just an aggregate of a bunch of processes.
“I will, therefore I am”.
Objective observation of the self through individual experience.
Active self (Ego) Allows the person to choose.
4 Phases:
1. Ideologist (Fiber Psych)
2. Thought is whole and continuous
3. Fundamentals are willing and ego is able to choose.
4. Religious because it explained individual diversity. He integrated religion with psych as it was his own aspirations (A little iffy here)

Question 8

Auguste Comte

Answer 8

French Positivist Philosopher
Controversial person.
“Cours de Philosophie Positive” (Course on Positive Philosophy)
Relationship with Harriet Martineau and John Stuart Mill.
Had a utopia where humanity was God and he was Pope.
How science matures: Theological leads to metaphysical which leads to positivist.
Said too many people are preoccupied with a search for causality.
Observables are what is true.
No religion, ethics is study of social behavior.
6 basic sciences:
math, astron, physics, chem, physiology/bio, sociology.
Positivism was a precursor to behaviorism.

Question 9

Name all the Philosophers from this section

Answer 9

Philosophes:
Voltaire, Rousseau, and others.
Sensationalists:
de Condillac
Bonnet
Julian Offroy de La Mettrie
Helvetius (Less extreme)
Cabanis (Less extreme)
Voluntarist:
de Biran (new view, new idea)
Positivist:
Comte (New view, same idea)

Question 10

What are the three are the three different types here?

Answer 10

Philsophes:
Sensationalists:
Psychological processes are limited to the level of sensory input.
Voluntarism:
Free-will. De Biran. We get to choose what we want to learn our senses dont control us.
Positivist:
Seeks to coordinate observable facts and find descriptive laws of natural events.