Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is Dr. Roy’s preferred definition of Psychology?
Science of the mind (closer to etymology “psyche” compared to science of behaviour)
Why was a picture of the APA subject divisions shown?
- shows how broad psychology is
- we can use history to help us understand how all these field are related/come together
Who said “Psychology has a long past but a short history”?
Hermann Ebbinghaus (1908)
What does Ebbinghaus’ quote (psychology has a long past but a short history) mean?
Long past: humans have been thinking about the mind forever!!!
Short history: concrete psychological science only started in 1860 (Fechner published “elements of psychophysics”)
What two things characterize the beginnings of psychology as a discipline, according to Dr. Roy?
1860: Fechner publishes “Elements of Psychophysics”
1879: Wundt establishes first psychology laboratory
Who is Hermann Ebbinghaus?
- psychological researcher
- one of the first historians of psychology
- came up with the “forgetting curve”
Explain Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve and why it is relevant to the history of psychology
- had Ps memorize random words and tested retention at specific time points
- found that we forget almost half of into after 20 mins; only remember about 25% after a day (very steep curve for first day and then stays pretty stable for a month)
- relevant bc one of first to use methods of science!!!
- Ebbinghaus is not on the list of 100 most eminent psychologists bc he has mostly been forgotten but Dr. Roy thinks he should be!
At what stage of human evolution do we have evidence that people thought about the mind?
Homo Neanderthalensis and Homo Sapiens
At which stage of human evolution did we develop tools and fire?
Homo Erectus
Why do we consider that Homo Neanderthalensis and Homo Sapiens thought about the mind?
- signs of burials!
- reveals that ppl had deep understanding of what death means
- the body is still there but something is gone (soul?)
- they probably also wondered about where the mind/soul goes when we sleep
What is the name of the famous cave painting seen in class? What conclusions can be drawn based on the painting?
- called “The Dreamer” by many archaeologists
- man’s erection is only clearly recognizable part of the image, was probably to show that the man is dreaming!!
What did cave paintings of bulls and other animals likely represent?
- probably recalling the story of a hunt
Genevieve von Betzinger discovered ______ signs had been used in cave paintings all over Europe over a time range of ______ years
32 signs; 30 000 years! (-40 000 to -10 000)
What did von Betzinger think the symbols she discovered meant?
- probably more basic than language, maybe some for counting or just as a representation of what’s inside the human mind?
What two precursors to written language did we learn about?
- pictograms (like what von Betzinger found, are basic drawings of objects/symbols)
- cuneiform writing (500BC), gets closer to actual language
Why was an example given where von Betzinger found symbols painted 500m inside a cave in a very narrow space?
- shows ppl went through lots of effort to put those symbols there, they must have been important to these people
What is the Greek Miracle?
- 6th to 4th century BC
- move away from using gods and myths as causes for natural phenomena; toward more natural/rational answer to natural problems
- beginning of scientific thinking (minus scientific methods)
What did the Greeks call the universe?
The Cosmos
Who were the pre-socratics? (+ 7 named in class)
- pre-scientific scientists
- wanted to understand the natural world
- Empedocles, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Zeno, Anexagoras, Democritus
What are the two main questions that classify ideas about the true nature of the universe?
- Is there one or many basic elements? (qualitative)
- Is there just one thing or many things? (quantitative)
Describe qualitative/quantitative monism/pluralism
Qualitative monism: there is one basic element
Qualitative pluralism: there are many basic elements
Quantitative monism: there is just one thing
Quantitative pluralism: there are many things
Describe the 2x2 table on monism/pluralism. What are the 4 options?
QL and QN pluralism: there are many things made up of many basic elements
QL monism and QN pluralism: there are many things made up of one basic element
QL and QN monism: there is just one thing
QL pluralism and QN monism: Dual-Aspect Monism (there is just one thing in the universe, but that one thing has different aspects)
What is dual-aspect monism?
- QN monism, QL pluralism
- there is just one thing in the universe, but it has different aspects
- think metaphor of saucer that looks convex or concave depending on if you look at it from above or below
Which monism/pluralism view is the most intuitive position and why?
QN and QL pluralism because it is closest to our sensory experience!
How do qualitative/quantitative monism/pluralism relate to the relationship between mind and matter?
- mind and matter are 2 diff things (QL and QN pluralism)
- 2 aspects of same thing (QL pluralism, QN monism; dual-aspect monism)
- just one thing; body or mind (QL and QN monism)
What is the most prevalent mind/matter position in modern science?
- there is only matter
- QL and QN monism
What did Plato and Descartes think about the relationship between mind and matter?
- they are two different things
- dualists (QL and QN pluralism)
What did Fechner think about the relationship between mind and matter?
- they are two aspects of the same thing (dual-aspect monism; QL pluralism, QN monism)
What did Berkely think about the relationship between mind and matter?
- there is only mind
- QL and QN monism
Ancient Greeks thought there were ___ elements essential to life. They were:
- 4
- Earth: food
- Air: breathing
- Fire: warmth
- Water: drinking
Empedocles (490-430 BC) general info
- pre-socratic
- QN and QL pluralist
- everything comes from the 4 elements: earth (solid), fire (thinking), air (breath of life) and water (liquid)
- two causes (forces that cause elements to interact): love (attraction) and strife (repulsion)
Empedocles (490-430 BC) was a (quantitative/qualitative) (monist/pluralist)
qualitative and quantitative pluralist!
According to Empedocles, what are the 4 elements and what do they represent?
- earth: solid
- fire: thinking
- air: breathing
- water: liquid
According to Empedocles, what are the 2 causes?
- love (attraction) and strife (repulsion)
- these are the forces that cause the elements to interact
Heraclitus (from Ephesus; 540-480 BC) general info
- pre-socratic
- everything that we think is permanent is in fact permanently changing
- a fundamental property of reality is to be always changing
- “you can never step in the same river twice”
- but there is still order in change (matter doesn’t just dissolve, gravity is a thing)
- fire represents constant change
- logos (word/reason) represents the order
- dual-aspect monist (QN monist, QL pluralism)
Heraclitus (540-480 BC) was a (quantitative/qualitative) (monist/pluralist)
quantitative monist, qualitative pluralist (dual-aspect monism)
Who said “you can never step in the same river twice”? What does this mean?
- Heraclitus
- reality is constantly changing so while the river is one thing it has many aspects (dual-aspect monism!)
According to Heraclitus, _____ represents constant change and ____ represents the order
fire; logos (word/reason)
Pythagoras of Samos (580-500 BC) general info
- pre-socratic
- similar to Heraclitus, except order comes from math, not logos
- founded a school in Croton (southern Italy), the Pythagoreans, who were visited by Socrates and Plato
- dual-aspect monist
Pythagoras was a (quantitative/qualitative) (monist/pluralist)
quantitative monist, qualitative pluralist (dual-aspect monism)
Which two thinkers presented in class are Eleadics? Were they (quantitative/qualitative) (monists/pluralists)
- Parmenides and Zeno
- quantitative and qualitative monists
What is the first step in proving the quantitative and qualitative monism point of view?
- first need to prove that our senses lie (deny sensory experiences as reality)
Parmenides (from Elea; 515- BC) general info
- pre-socratic
- all change is illusion
- sensory experience is not real, the real can only be understood through reason
- QL and QN monist
Zeno of Elea (495-430 BC) general info
- pre-socratic
- movement is an illusion
- Zeno’s paradoxes (Achilles and tortoise)
- QL and QN monist
Explain Zeno’s paradox of Achilles and the tortoise
- Achilles and the tortoise are racing; Achilles is 2x as fast
- when will Achilles catch up?
- Zeno says he can never catch the tortoise bc by the time he reaches where the tortoise was, it will have moved forward again
- can use this argument to show that our sense lie
Anexagoras (510-428 BC) general info
- pre-socratic
- basic element for all types of things (seeds of bone, flesh, hair, etc)
- there is a nous (cosmic mind) drawing things into an ordered direction (beginnings of theology!)
- qualitative and quantitative pluralist
Anexagoras (510-428 BC) was a (quantitative/qualitative) (monist/pluralist)
qualitative and quantitative pluralist
Anexagoras’ thinking was the beginning of what other discipline?
theology!
Democritus (460-370 BC) general info
- pre-socratic
- everything is made of small indivisible things (atoms)
- apparent order comes from blind force combining things by chance
- this is a more mechanistic explanation (he does not fall into trap of trying to explain stuff via cosmic force)
- precursor to reductionism, materialism and determinism
- there is only matter
- qualitative monist (all atoms are same) and quantitative pluralist
Democritus (460-370 BC) was a (quantitative/qualitative) (monist/pluralist)
qualitative monist and quantitative pluralist
What does the word atom mean
- that which cannot be divided
- “a” means not; “temno” means I cut
Socrates was an important figure in ancient Greek philosophy because he stopped asking questions strictly aimed at understanding ____________ and focused more on _______
understanding the nature of external reality; focused more on the subject
What 3 topics did Socrates’ thinking introduce?
morals, aesthetics, politics (the humanities!!!)
Who said “Know Thyself”? How is this statement intended, and what does it mean?
- Socrates!
- intended as an order/imperative
- you can know everything about the external world and still be lost!
Why was Socrates really annoying?
- he would find holes in people’s arguments and attack them about it
- his point was that we can’t know anything for sure, knowledge is to be constantly produced in this dialogue
According to Dr. Roy, why was Socrates being sentenced to death a “high point” in his career?
- Socrates argued for accepting sentence even if unfair
- can’t beat injustice by another unjust act
According to Dr. Roy, who are the 2 central figures of ancient Greek philosophy?
Plato and Aristotle
Explain the relationship between Plato, Aristotle and Socrates. Who was whose student?
Socrates –> Plato –> Aristotle
- Plato was student of Socrates, Aristotle was student of Plato
Why does Plato’s hand point up towards the sky while Aristotle’s hand gestures to the ground in Raphael’s famous painting?
Plato: wants to transcend realm of our sensory experience; what’s important is what’s “up there”
Aristotle: need to start w sensory experiences/observations before using reason to understand reality (this is closest to modern science!!)
After the death of Socrates, Plato left Athens to spend some time with the ______
Pythagoreans
What are the 2 phases in Plato’s work?
1: work in the voice of Socrates
2: work influenced by mystic Pythagoreanism
Plato’s Theory of Forms distinguishes between what 2 realms?
- realm of eternal never-changing ideas (forms)
- realm of ever-changing material reality in which the forms of ideas are imperfectly realized
Explain Plato’s allegory of the cave
- explains idea that there is a clear and important distinction btw what senses perceive and pure/ideal forms
- prisoners have been in cave forever, can only see shadows on wall of objects that are behind them
- says we can’t trust our senses bc these are just shadows of real objects
Explain the distinction between forms and material reality in terms of the example of the colour white
- nothing we see in real life is purely white (ex animals)
- “white” doesn’t exist in reality
- doesn’t mean pure white doesn’t exist at all, it just exists in a parallel world/realm where these pure forms exist
Explain Plato’s doctrine of recollection (anamnesis)
- senses don’t tell us anything, we have to use pure reason to understand reality
- all-knowing cosmos-soul is in us, but we forget what it knew bc of the violent way it is injected into our body
- using our reason, we can RECOVER what the cosmic soul already knew
- no real learning, can only recover what we already knew
According to Plato, why is geometrical knowledge the most prestigious knowledge?
- can be completely derived from set of principles by means of reasoning
- not related to anything that exists in the world, only exists in our minds
Plato’s _______ model of the soul is one of the first written mentions of _________
tripartite; one of first mentions of some form of theory of the soul and personality
According to Plato’s tripartite model, what are the 3 parts of the soul (personality)
- Reason (brain)
- Spirit (heart; courage/emotion)
- Appetite (liver; motivation, desires)
What is the link between Plato’s tripartite model and his book (______) that it was published in
- Republic
- thinks society is divided into 3 kinds of roles based on which part of the soul is dominant
- reason: philosophers (should rule the republic)
- spirit: soldiers
- appetite: workers
What 2 examples, other than Plato’s model, were given of tripartite models in psychology?
- Freud: Id, Ego, Superego
- Paul Maclean (neurologist): Triune brain
What are the 3 brains that make up the mind in Paul Maclean’s Triune brain model
- homo sapiens brain (frontal cortex): thought and verbal expression
- mammalian brain (limbic system): emotion
- reptilian brain (basal ganglia/brainstem): body sensation and impulses
Describe the 3 step process of Hegel’s dialect
Thesis –> Antithesis –> Synthesis (–> Thesis ….)
state something, come up with an argument against it, reconcile the 2 extremes, come up with a new thesis
A triangle represents the _____ of opposites
reconciliation
According to Dr. Roy, why are we so comfortable with 3 part models?
- they allow for same type of configuration as Hegel’s dialect (thesis, antithesis, synthesis)
What religious and French examples were given of 3 part models that are configured like Hegel’s dialect?
- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
- French Republic slogan: Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (added fraternity to resolve conflict btw liberty and equality)
Why did Plato think the triangle was the best shape ever?
- smallest possible shape w smallest # of corners
- triangles are everywhere!
Plato founded the _____ which focused on learning ________.
Aristotle founded the _____ which focused on learning _____.
- Academia (first uni); geometry and math
- Lyceum; broader scope than the Academy!
According to Aristotle, we should start with _____, not _____ to understand reality
observations, not reason
Aristotle wrote about ____ books on what topic(s)?
- 150, diverse subjects
- many books lost in great fire at library of Alexandria
- tutored Alexander the Great
What theory of Aristotle’s led to Darwin’s theory of evolution?
- biological taxonomy
- careful observation, followed by classification of all life forms (think branch diagram)
According to Plato:
Truth is found through ____; senses ______. The mind is the ______ of knowledge.
thinking (introspection); senses lie
mind is origin of knowledge
(focus on mathematics)
According to Aristotle:
Truth is found through ____; senses ______. The mind is the ______ of knowledge.
observing nature; senses are reliable
mind is organizer of knowledge
(focus on classification and categories)
What did Aristotle argue about Plato’s theory of forms and exemplars (material reality)? There is a problem of ______. What 2 examples were used to illustrate this?
- participation! (how do exemplars participate in forms?)
- idea of “white” can’t exist without sensory experiences
- ex thunder makes no sense to think ab if you haven’t experienced it
What does Aristotle say is the relationship between matter (exemplars) and form?
- Plato had these divided
- form is IN exemplar
- matter always takes on some form of organization
- form is immanent to matter
According to Aristotle, form is _____ to matter
immanent
What are immanent forms?
- Aristotle’s solution to problem of participation
- forms come from within the matter
- consciousness is an immanent property of our brain! (science today agrees)
What are transcendent forms?
- there are two realms, one of matter and one of pure ideal forms
A particular is a(n) ______; it is composed of _____ and _____. The name of this theory is ______.
an object; composed of form and matter
Hylomorphism
Teleology states that the particular has an inherent ____, _____, and _____ in its essence
capacity, potential, end (telos)
- in every living thing, there is a potential to be actualized; the actualization of that potential is the telos
Distinguish the concepts of hylomorphism and teleology
Hylomorphism: the form is inherent in the material embodiment of that thing (form is in the matter)
Teleology: ultimate goal or purpose of a thing
Explain the example of the ship in relation to matter & form
- if you change each part of ship one at a time, is it the same ship or a different ship?
- both are true (like human body)
What is the telos in Aristotle’s Teleology?
- end/purpose/good
- actualization of potential is the telos
- ex oak tree is already inside acorn, just waiting to be developed
List Aristotle’s 4 causes for why things are the way they are
- Efficient cause (force exerted, makes more sense for non-living things)
- Material cause (stuff it is made of)
- Formal cause (essential nature of thing, organization)
- Final cause (telos, goal, purpose)
Explain the examples of a table and earrings in relation to Aristotle’s 4 causes
Table
- Efficient: carpenter’s work
- Material: wood
- Formal: structure
- Final: use to eat on
Earrings
- Efficient: artist’s work
- Material: poop
- Formal: earring
- Final: art!!
