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Theoretical Issues in Psychology

Theoretical Issues in Psychology. Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Mind for Psychologists. Aims of the book. Review of basic ideas and problems in philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, relevant for psychologists.  Psychology as science of mind:

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Theoretical Issues in Psychology

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  1. Theoretical Issues in Psychology Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Mind for Psychologists B&LdeJ

  2. Aims of the book • Review of basic ideas and problems in philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, relevant for psychologists. •  Psychology as science of mind: • what is science? Chapters 1–5. • what is mind? Chapters 6–10. B&LdeJ

  3. Chapter 1 Science: why and how? • Why science? • Knowledge • Arguments • Laws, theories, models and causes B&LdeJ

  4. Why and how? Demarcating science: • science as arbiter of objectivity and truth; • demarcating science from pseudoscience; • science as safeguard against propaganda and superstition. Objectivity vs subjectivity or human construction: • realism, foundationalism, objectivism (positivism Ch. 3). • relativism (social constructionism, sociology of science Ch. 4 and 5). But what defines science? B&LdeJ

  5. What defines science? • Reduction:underlying causal structure explains macro-phenomena; this research produces … • Unification;and promotes … • Systematicity. • Critical attitude:against authority and dogma; inspires freedom of thought, advances enlightenment and … • Open-mindedness. B&LdeJ

  6. Theories of truth Traditional theories of truth: Correspondence theory of truth Coherence theory of truth ‘Recent’ theories of truth: Consensus theory of truth Pragmatic theory of truth B&LdeJ

  7. Correspondencetheory: a statement or belief is ‘true’ if it corresponds with a situation, an event or an object in reality, or in the world (realism – objectivism) ‘There is a cat on the mat!’ => correspondence

  8. Coherencetheory: a statement or belief is called ‘true’ if it is coherent with other beliefs (knowledge) that one has (idealism / relativism) coherent with ‘A cat is a mammal of the genus Felix; a pet animal, with a soft skin, that likes to be carressed etc., etc.’ ‘There is a cat!’

  9. Consensus theory: ‘truth’ is a social or cultural consent or approval (relativism / social-constructionism) Pragmatic theory: a belief or theory is ‘true’ or reliable if it has success in practice; if it can be established by experience (experiments) ‘Recent’ theories of truth

  10. Views on world & knowledge Realism: • world exists knower-independent; • world is primary; • knowledge pictures the objective world (representing); • truth is correspondence between knowledge and world. Relativism (an extreme version:Idealism): • world is (partly) constructed by the knower (subject); • subject is primary; • knowing is constructing; • truth is coherence with the rest of knowledge, or consensus. Pragmatism: • knowledge is functional and active, coping with the world; • truth is practically, experientially successful. B&LdeJ

  11. A problem for realism: ‘God’s eye view’ How to compare the world with a theory, since one can never get outside one’s theory (opinion)? Irony: only in ‘God’s eye’ can correspondence be assessed. OK! Theory World correspondence B&LdeJ

  12. Pragmatic realism Hillary Putnam (‘pragmatic realism’): ‘the mind and the world jointly make up the mind and the world’ (cf. Kant) ‘World’ World features Categories, interests B&LdeJ

  13. Everyday knowledge and science • Eddington’s ‘Two Tables’: • molecules, empty, weightless, colorless; • visible, solid, colored everyday object. • What is the real table? Everyday world as illusion? Conclusion: different perspectives, both real • Everyday knowledge and scientific knowledge: • ‘manifest’ vs ‘scientific image’ (Sellars); • i.e. visible vs underlying, explanatory image • (bv. water – H2O; depression – dopamine) B&LdeJ

  14. Characteristics of science • Systematicity:a coherent system of theories, statements, formulae etc. 2. Well-defined methods:methods specify what counts as legitimate problems, facts, solutions, etc. 3. Reduction:phenomena (or theories) are explained by underlying lower-level mechanisms (or laws). 4. Objectivity: in the sense of being controllable, reliable and inter-subjectively observable. 5. Clarity: scientific statements are phrased unambiguously, in principle addressed to the public domain. 6. Revisability:scientific knowledge is open, revisable at all times and never definitive. B&LdeJ

  15. Induction, deduction, abduction Induction:from individual observations to general statements. No logical certainty, but new knowledge. Example: Lots of swans were observed; all were white. Maybe all swans are white. Deduction:from general statements to individual. Logical certainty: conclusion contained in premises, but no new knowledge. Example: All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal. Abduction:inference to the best explanation. No logical certainty, new hypothetical knowledge about causes Example: All CJD patients ate beef. Beef may be the cause of CJD. B&LdeJ

  16. The problem of induction Every generalisation can be disconfirmed by an unexpected observation (‘black swan’). Confirmation cannot, unlike deduction, be formalised; no logical certainty. Inducing requires classification; one has to start with concepts and criteria (e.g. for similarity). B&LdeJ

  17. Facts and theories Facts: no such thing as pure observation; theory influences observation – ‘theory-ladenness’ Theory (coherent set of statements) indispensable: standard terms for description; coherent, unifying; ‘unobservable’ scientific concepts (e.g., energy, IQ) connected to observations by theory. Strict distinction between fact and theory impossible; hierarchy from factual to theoretical. B&LdeJ

  18. ‘Justification’ vs ‘discovery’ Context of justification: normative, focus on method; prescribing criteria for holding a theory true, acceptable or justified, logically or empirically ( positivism). Context of discovery: description of the historical, social and psychological circumstances and influences that were relevant to the invention or discovery of scientific theories: who, where and when? ( more or less relativistic views of science). B&LdeJ

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