PSYC104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Tabula Rasa, Analytic Geometry, Ethics
24 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
PSYC104
Week 2 Lecture
Newtonian science
- God created but does not micromanage
- The material world is governed by natural laws
- He rejeted Aristotle’s fial ause oept
- Aepted Oa’s Razor – usually misinterpreted
- Knowledge is imperfect because of limitations of human beings
- Classification (naming) is not explanation – Just identified
Francis Bacon (1561- 1626 CE)
- Stressed the observation of events
- Desired no theories but only induction. A true scientist must come to their task without
preconceptions
- Empirical observation as the ultimate authority in matters scientific
- Should benefit society
- Rationale for expending public funds on science
- Died from a chill while stuffing a chicken with snow
Descartes (1596 – 1650 CE)
- Invented analytic geometry from observing flies in a room
- Wants to be able to locate them exactly in 3D
- In line with Copernicus, Galileo and Newton – Encouraged one another
- Establish human knowledge on the same certain basis as the truths of mathematics
- Search for truth went through a terrible period of doubt
- Wanted to be able to identify the sure foundation of knowledge
- Consisted of 4 rules
1. Avoid all prejudgment, all is up for discussion – put aside our own feelings and thoughts
2. Divide problems into as many parts as might be required to obtain a solution –
REDUCTIONISM
3. Analyze the parts in an orderly fashion – Start with the simplest
4. Be extremely thorough so as to leave no aspect unexamined
- Ended up being certain of was that he was doubting – I THINK; THEREFORE, I AM
- Convinced that certain ideas were innate – placed by god
- Rationalist
- Humans and animals possessed similar methods of responding to the environment – using
animals for studying human bodily functions
- Interactive Dualism
- Made subjectivity respectable – Paved the way for the scientific study of consciousness
Locke (1632 -1704 CE)
Empiricism
- Was a chemist
- Met and corresponded with Newton – Religious matter
- Not interested in how the two influence each other
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PSYC104
Week 2 Lecture
- Opposed innate ideas – Knowledge came from experience
- Both external and internal observation
- Simple images – Either sensation or reflection
- Operations of the mind are innate – Arranging of images, ideas
- Humans are motivated by the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain
- Some of our psychological experiences reflect the physical world as it actually is
- Mind was a blank slate or TABULA RASA
- Opposition to Descartes
- Emphasized the role of experience in creating knowledge – Experience was the missing
ingredient to the mind
Hume (1711 -1776 CE)
- Science of people must be laid upon the foundation experience and observation
- Moral philosophy – Newton had done for the physical sciences – got to be as good as Newton
- First step was careful observation and then generalize from those
- Knowledge begins from simple impressions by which he meant to survive on
- Perception was not a direct to the real world
- Causation is primarily a psychological experience not necessarily a reality
- Four conditions: two events to be I a causal relationship
1. Contiguous in space and time
2. Cause → effect
3. Constant union cause and effect
4. Same cause for same effect
- Mind consists of the perceptions we are having at any given moment
- Mind is a collective of different perceptions
- Emotions are the consistent motivators of human action
- Learn the same as animals through reward and punishment
- Reduced topics
Kant (1724 – 1804 CE)
- Divide between the Empiricists and early rationalists a synthesis of ideas
- Could not be derived from experience – had an existence prior to observation
- Postulated that though experience was critical further analysis of the experience showed the
operations of an active mind – effortlessly and actively
- Centre of the universe was the human mid – prescribed the laws of nature
- Mind is not a physical object – cannot experiment - How could the data be safe from corruption
Charles Darwin (1809 to 1882 CE)
- Not a psychologist – his study can influence
- Moving toward a career as a minister of religion
- Passion for Entomology – Study and collection of bugs
The Beagle (1831 to 1836 CE)
- Darwin was not the first choice – went instead of his University friend
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The material world is governed by natural laws. Classification (naming) is not explanation just identified. Knowledge is imperfect because of limitations of human beings. A true scientist must come to their task without preconceptions. Empirical observation as the ultimate authority in matters scientific. Rationale for expending public funds on science. Died from a chill while stuffing a chicken with snow. Invented analytic geometry from observing flies in a room. Wants to be able to locate them exactly in 3d. Wanted to be able to identify the sure foundation of knowledge. In line with copernicus, galileo and newton encouraged one another. Establish human knowledge on the same certain basis as the truths of mathematics. Reductionism: analyze the parts in an orderly fashion start with the simplest, be extremely thorough so as to leave no aspect unexamined. Ended up being certain of was that he was doubting (cid:862)i think; therefore, i am(cid:863) Convinced that certain ideas were innate placed by god.
