Before Wundt

About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about Wilhelm Wundt as the founder of psychology as a science in 1879, focusing in particular on: (i) the prehistory to this, including the use of the term ‘psychology’ by David Hartley to describe a theory of the human mind in 1749, and the widespread discussion of psychology topics in ancient civilisations across the globe; (ii) a long-standing debate called the mind-body problem, which aims to conclude on whether the mind and the body are distinct; (iii) Descartes, introduced as an early thinker on the concept of consciousness, distinguishing animals from humans based on their perceived lack of consciousness; (iv) one of Descartes’s theories, centred around the human mind being immaterial, leaving the unanswered question of how it interacts with the body; (v) the philosophical concept of materialism as a contrasting theory, proposing that the mind and the body are the same, advocated by Thomas Hobbes; (vi) the idea of empiricism, proposed by John Locke as a method of collecting data and forming theories in scientific practice.

Glossary:

Mind-Body Dualism – In the philosophy of mind, mind-body dualism denotes either that mental processes are non-physical, or that the mind and body are distinct.

Materialism – A form of philosophical monism which considers matter to be the fundamental substance in nature. Therefore, all things, including mental states and consciousness, are the result of material interactions.

About the lecturer

Mr Ian Fairholm is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. One of his research areas of interest is the history of psychology and the issues, debates and approaches that surround the subject. Some of Mr Fairholm’s recent publications include 'Looking back: Freud, the libido and oxytocin' (2014) and 'Issues, debates and approaches in psychology' (2012).