preview

The Philosophical Roots Of Psychology Essay

Satisfactory Essays

Modern psychology has a diversity of topics, from cognitive psychology, behavioral psychology, evolutionary psychology, and more. However, a person needs to know the history of psychology before he or she can grasp the different concepts of psychology. However, the roots of psychology are grounded in philosophy, with psychology 's beginning coming from philosophers as Socrates, Plato, and Rene Descartes, and began with questions about human nature. The Philosophical Roots The beginnings of psychology come from different philosophers, such as Socrates and Plato. In all actuality, Socrates himself never wrote anything; however, Plato put it in writing. Socrates did not put anything into writing because he believed that writing was an interactional process for knowledge. Socrates claimed that he knew nothing and in believed in a person cross-examining him or herself, which became known as elenchus. According to Hooker (1996), "The Socratic elenchus eventually gave rise to dialectic, the idea that truth needs to be pursued by modifying one 's position through questioning and conflict with opposing ideas" (Socrates, para. 5). However, the philosophical era progressed with Plato, Descartes, and Spinoza. These distinguished philosophers lived during a time when the human soul was actively discussed among philosophers. These great philosophers believed that the human soul and many of the early philosophers believed that the mind and body were separate and the mind or soul would

Get Access