Comte coined the term positivism (positivism a term coined by Comte to describe a way of thinking that recognizes only positive facts and observable phenomena, as practised in the physical sciences) to describe a way of thinking that recognized only positive facts and observable phenomena. This notion influenced later psychological theories, especially in Gestalt psychology.Īfter Descartes, another French philosopher, Auguste Comte, developed a new philosophical idea that had a profound impact on psychology. This points to another important legacy of his philosophy, namely that some ideas (e.g. One of Descartes’ conclusions was that: ‘The existence of God is demonstrated, a posteriori, from this alone, that his idea is in us’. Descartes ultimately concluded that the interaction between the physical and non-material worlds (body and mind) was miraculous. For example, the mind makes an impression on the conarium (in a manner never specified), which, by tilting in the right direction, causes animal spirits to flow to the appropriate muscles, producing movement.
He settled on the pineal gland, or conarium, at the top of the brain stem and described the interaction in mechanical terms. The way was paved for a change from metaphysical analysis of the soul to observation of the mind and its operations.Īs it became increasingly clear that sensations travel to the brain and that bodily movements originate in the brain, Descartes looked for a point of interaction between mind and body in the brain. Also, by limiting the mind to one function –thought – Descartes ascribed to the body attributes that had previously been associated with the mind (e.g. Descartes developed what became known as Cartesian dualism, (cartesian dualism a framework offered by Descartes, which asserts a relationship of mutual interaction) which asserts a relationship of mutual interaction. (dualism the view that the body and the mind (or soul or spirit) are undamentally different in nature) But prior to Descartes, the mind was believed to influence the body, rather than the other way around. Since Plato, most philosophers had viewed the body and the mind (or soul or spirit) as fundamentally different in nature. Descartes applied this view to animals, including humans, setting humans apart from animals only by their possession of a ‘mind’. Reflecting the spirit of his times, Descartes subscribed to the idea of mechanism – an image of the universe as a machine and physical entities as mechanical devices. The work of French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596–1650) led to many of the later trends in psychology. The notion that the methods of science could be applied to mental phenomena emerged from sixteenth and seventeenth century European philosophy. A major breakthrough occurred when the tools of science (carefully controlled observation and experimentation) were applied to the study of humans, and psychology began to emerge as a distinct entity.
But until the last quarter of the nineteenth century, this endeavour was pursued through speculation, intuition and generalizations made on the basis of an individual’s experience. Humans have long been intrigued by their own behaviour, and attempts to understand human functioning can be traced to early Greek philosophers.
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