PSYC 308 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: John Stuart Mill, Tabula Rasa, Empiricism

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 308
• Professor: Timothy Racine

Document Summary

Psyc 308 - lecture 3 - history & systems of modern psychology. Newton"s view of universe as result of natural & rationally deducible laws was crucial for the enlightenment. Newton formalized laws of motion that served as basis for classical mechanics in physics & universal gravity - that einstein smacked down in general relativity. We can"t unify psychology & never will. Psychology is still playing this stuff out too. Kimble (1990) claims motion is actually subject matter of psychology & links it to newton - motion of organisms is just behaviour. Essentially, we have interest in psychology similar to newton"s interest. Said our motion could essentially be predicted same way motion can be mathematically calculated. Bridgman (1927) introduced operational definition in the logic of modern. Physics - and psychology promptly stole the idea. Saying motion & behaviour are same thing is restrictive. Said mind is like piece of white paper that experience writes upon.