Lecture 1 - From Philosophy to Psychology Flashcards
What was the precursor to psychology?
Philosophy
How did psychology develop in Ancient Greece?
People made up stories, beginning with Homer
Gods explained behaviors and personality
What were Socrates and Plato’s contributions?
Psychological forces = cause of mental disturbances
Madness was the animal psyche overtaking the intellectual mind
Nature vs. nurture on intelligence and personality
What were Aristotle’s contributions?
Empiricism
Psychological ideas about sleep, dreams, sensation and memory
What were Goclenius’ contributions?
Credited with term “psychology”
What does psychology mean?
Psyche = soul Ology = science
What is ontology, and what is its importance?
Study of being/existing
Asked key q - “what exists?”
What are the steps to asking “what exists”?
- Define existence
- Have a perceiver
How is that which exists changed by perceiver?
What did ontology contribute to psychology?
Study of sensation and perception
What occurred between 1400-1500?
The Renaissance in Europe
Arts, tech, science increased
Printing press dispersed information
What were Descartes’ contributions?
Rationalism and Dualism
Cogito ergo sum - I think therefore I am (can be sure of nothing else)
Humans as machines: experience -> response
What is rationalism?
The idea that our knowledge comes from reasoning
What are the basic rules of rationalism?
- Accept nothing as true unless there is absolutely no doubt about it
- Take problems, analyze them, and reduce them to the fundamental
- Go from simplest to most complex elements
- Carefully review conclusions
What is dualism?
Humans are 2 parts - physical and immaterial
What is today’s perspective on dualism?
Disagree
Mind is what brain does
What were Spinoza’s contributions?
Rejected Descartes’ dualism
Said that body/mind are two different aspects of the same substance
Said that free will and human nature are determined
What is empiricism?
Method of knowledge derived from experience or experimens