Psychology Is Not a Science

Paper Summary:

This paper considers why psychology can never be a science like physics by looking at Descartes' philosophy in detail. Descartes' thinking related to this issue is discussed - it begins with a discussion of the nature of the body and the mind and the link between them. The nature of ideas are then described including why Descartes believed that science could only be studied on the basis of observations and experiments.

From the Paper:

"The first important part of Descartes' philosophy relating to the study of psychology is his consideration of the difference between the body and the mind. Descartes saw the body and mind as having different features. He saw the body as an object, based on his definition of an object as something that occupies space, is flexible and is movable. These same features are not true of the mind. The mind does not occupy space. It is important to note here, that the brain occupies space. However, when Descartes refers to the mind he refers to its thinking capacity, and this does not occupy space. The mind is also not flexible or movable. Therefore, according to Descartes the body is an object and the mind is not. This explains one reason why psychology cannot be a science like physics. According to Descartes, only an object can be dealt with scientifically. Since the mind is not an object, it cannot be treated scientifically."

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