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The prerequisite of the science of psychology

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I am currently working on a text on psychology, and write to offer a question that some of you may find interesting:

Was the full development of an objective, reality-based and fully integrated philosophical system a necessary prerequisite of the beginning of development of a science of psychology?  Why?

Be well.

Edited by organon1973
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Clearly not, since the beginning of the development of psychology as a science predates the "full development of an objective, reality-based and fully integrated philosophical system."

Here's a more fascinating question: Is such a philosophic system possible without at least some knowledge of man's psychological nature — e.g., that he is a conscious being who possesses volition and who experiences emotions?

I say no. To arrive at valid philosophic insights, let alone a complete, integrated system, one must first have at least a general idea of whom he is philosophizing for & about.

Put another way: You can't induce valid philosophic principles so long as you believe that it's possible, however remotely, that man might be an unconscious automaton.

The entire field of philosophy rests on the idea that man possesses a psychological nature; a psychological dimension. To assert otherwise is to be guilty of the Stolen Concept.

Edited by Kevin Delaney
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  • 4 weeks later...

Well, I personally believe that everyone's psychology (objectivist or not) is a consequence of their philosophical discoveries. So I do think you need to know some things about philosophy before evaluating a person's psychology. Correcting your psychological faults requires a knowledge of the correct, reality-based philosophy. But to merely know the psychology of a person, you needn't know the correct philosophy, just merely what they believe in (or assume to be true in every one of their beliefs)...

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