The Scientific Evolution of Psychology

406 Pages·1963·29.148 MB·English

by  J. R. Kantor

THE
SCIENTIFIC EVOLUTION
OF
PSYCHOLOGY

THE SCIENTIFIC EVOLUTION
OF PSYCHOLOGY
Volume I
J. R. KANTOR
T>
THE PRINCIPIA PRESS, INC.
Chicago, Illinois 1963 Granville, Ohio
Copyright 1963
THE PRINCIPIA PRESS, INC.
574s S. Kimbark Avenue Denison University
Chicago 37, 111. Granville, Ohio
This book is dedicated
to
the workers of all periods and of all
nations who have labored to evolve
a scientific psychology

CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES xiii
LIST OF TABLES xiv
LIST OF PLATES xv
PREFACE xvii
Section One
PROBLEMS, PROCEDURES, PERSPECTIVES: GENERAL ORIENTATION
1. HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY: PROBLEMS, PERSPECTIVES, PRESUPPOSITIONS 3
Crucial Problems of Scientific History 3
Psychological History as Scientific Method 4
Unique Problems of Psychological History 9
The Perspectives of Psychological History 12
The Presuppositions of Psychological History 15
The Historical Interrelation of Psychology and the other Sciences 18
The Scientific Career of Psychology 20
The Structuring of Psychological History 22
2. THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND THE SCIENCE OF HISTORY 23
The Value of History as Scientific Method 23
Can History be Scientific? 26
History as Events and as Constructs 28
Natural History, Civil History, and the History of Science 29
The Problem of Scientific Origins 30
Interpretation and Evaluation in Scientific History 31
3. SCIENCE AS A CUTURAL INSTITUTION 32
Scientific Institutions and their Cultural Matrices 32
The Scientific Significance of Cultural Origins 34
Theories concerning the general Cultural Origin of Science 35
Inception and Development of Special Sciences 37
Historical Misconstructions concerning Aboriginal Peoples 44
Techniques of fallacious Construction 46
Orientational Summary 48
Section Two
THE HISTORICO-CULTURAL ORIGINS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
4. THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF PSYCHOLOGY 51
When does the History of Psychology begin? 51
Criteria suggested for Psychological Origins 53
History of Psychology: Intellective-Technological Complexes .... 55
Stages in Psychological Evolution 56
viii CONTENTS
Section Three
THE HELLENIC SYSTEMIZATION OF PSYCHOLOGY
5. THE CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF HELLENIC PSYCHOLOGY 61
The Greek Establishment of Psychological Science 61
Greek Science: Miracle or Evolution? 68
6. THE SCIENTIFIC MATRIX OF HELLENIC PSYCHOLOGY 70
Hellenic Cosmology or Metascience 7 *
Greek Science: The specialized Disciplines 73
Recapitulation 92
7. SOCRATIC ANTHROPOLOGY 93
Socrates as Source and Link of Science 93
Socratic Anthropology 93
Socrates builds a Model for Science 94
The Socratic Notion of Soul 95
Socrates' Naturalistic Psychology 96
8. PLATONIC DIALECTICS AND PSYCHOLOGY 99
Detranslation of Platonic Doctrines 99
Plato and the Evolution of Scientific Institutions 101
The Mathematical Basis of Platonic Dialectics 101
The Platonic Duality of Ideas and Events 102
Plato's Doctrine of Ideas 103
Gleanings in Platonic Psychology I: General Aspects 103
Gleanings in Platonic Psychology II: Specific Activities 106
The Role of Plato in the History of Psychology 114
9. ARISTOTLE: INSTITUTOR OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY 116
Aristotle's Place in the History of Psychology 116
The Protopropositions of Aristotle's Psychology 118
The Metapropositions of Aristotle's Psychology 121
Aristotle's System of Psychology: History and Background 123
The Structure of the Psychological Corpus 124
The Nature of Psychological Events 125
Specific Psychological Activities 129
De Anima: Sum and Perspective 149
Section Four
THE EXTINCTION OF SYSTEMATIC PSYCHOLOGY
10. THE METAMORPHOSIS AND DECLINE OF SYSTEMATIC PSYCHOLOGY ... 155
Greek Scientific Psychology: Transience and Permanence 155
The Hellenistic Decline of Scientific Psychology 157
The Two Cycles in Psychological History 159
Formal Science and Cultural Continuity 162
11. HUMANISM DISPLACES SYSTEMATIC PSYCHOLOGY 164
From Athenian Science to Imperial Society 164
CONTENTS ix
Intellectual Individualism and the Multiplication of Schools .... 165
The Cynical Rejection of the Social Order 167
The Cultural Incitation to Scepticism 169
Stoic Cosmopolitan Construction 171
Epicurean Adaptation to Social Changes 174
The Psychology of Lucretius 176
Section Five
THE HELLENISTIC EXPANSION AND DIFFRACTION OF SCIENCE
12. ALEXANDRIA: THE MUSEUM AND THE LIBRARIES 185
Hellenistic Intermixture of Cultures 185
Social and Intellectual Consequences of Hellenistic Imperialism .. 186
Hellenic and Hellenistic Science 187
Alexandria's Influence on Scientific Tradition 187
Hellenistic Scientific Specialization 188
Hellenistic Nonanthropic Sciences 189
Hellenistic Anthropic Sciences 203
The Roman Codification of Greek Science 211
Section Six
THE HELLENISTIC-ROMAN RETREAT FROM NATURE
13. HELLENISTIC-ROMAN PERSONALISM 217
The Decline of Science and Historical Continuity 217
Personalism: Its Scientific Significance 218
Factors leading to Hellenistic-Roman Personalism 219
Parable and Allegory: Mechanisms for Engendering Personalism 221
Hellenistic Theocentricity: From Personalism to Spiritualism .... 222
Monotheism and Greco-Roman Spiritualism 222
The Personalization of the Gods and Spiritualism 223
Spiritualistic Anthropology 224
Evolution of Soul Constructions 225
14. PATRISTIC TRANSCENDENTALISM 226
Sacred Science and the Christian Commonwealth 226
Sacred Church and Secular State 227
Soterism replaces Investigation 229
Christology: The New Science 232
Patristic Doctrines and Dogmas 234
Patristic Transcendentalism and Modern Psychology 236
15. PLOTINUS AND ROMAN-AFRICAN CONVERSIONISM 253
Preparatio Psychologica 253
Social Conditions underlying Neoplatonism 254
Plotinus: Systemizer of Spirit 256
Plotinus converts Plato 257
Plotinus: Institutor of Spirit 259
Plotinian Psychology 261
CONTENTS
x
Section Seven
SPIRIT INSTITUTIONALIZED
16. AUGUSTINIAN TRANSNATURISM 273
The Triumph of Spirit 273
St. Augustine: Spokesman of the New Age 275
Personalism and Inwardness 277
The Humanistic Theology of St. Augustine 278
Augustinian Philosophy 280
Augustinian Anthropology 282
Augustine's Theological Psychology 284
Augustinian Elements in Modern Psychology 290
Section Eight
ARAB TRANSFORMATION AND TRANSMISSION OF SCIENCE
17. NEAR EASTERN CULTURE AND THE CAREER OF SCIENCE 297
Science migrates Eastward 297
The Rise and Expansion of Arab Culture 299
The Range and Character of Arab Culture 301
The Philosophical Background of Arab Science 302
Science in the Eastern and Western Caliphates 303
Arab Psychology and its Influence on Psychological History .... 309
18. SCIENCE REENTERS EUROPEAN CULTURE 311
Problems of Scientific History 311
The Ground prepared for Science: European Intellectual Cultures
400-1100 311
Science reestablished: Historical Factors: 700-1100 314
Basic Protopostulates of Medieval Science 322
Section Nine
THE SCHOLASTIC TRANSFORMATION OF ARISTOTLE'S PSYCHOLOGY
19. NATURE BEGINS TO PARALLEL GRACE 329
Psychology Reemerges in Western Europe 329
The Doctrines of Scholastic Psychology 331
The Protopostulates of Thomistic Psychology 334
The Metapostulates of Thomistic Psychology 336
The Postulates of Thomistic Psychology 336
Acts of the Soul: Special Topics in Thomistic Psychology 337
Thomistic Contributions to Mentalistic Psychology 343
20. SOUL IN A MATRIX OF SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS 348
Revolution and Evolution in Psychology 348
The transparent Paradox of Mind and Nature 349
The Polarization of Constructs and Events 350
The Dichotomization of Nature 351