History of Psycology Essay Example for Free

History of Psycology EssayBefore psychology there was philosophy. Descartes was around during the quit of the Renaissance and in the era of revolutionary developments in science. Born in 1596 to a French lawyer, Descartes could derive more than most. When he was in his late 20s, he resembled more of a scientist than a philosopher since he had studied physics, optics, geometry as well as physiology.The first to discover that lenses in ones eye are inverted by removing an oxs eye, Descartes alike believed in truth and was an active rationalist, implication he believed the truth would emerge by careful use of reason and it became his modus operandi. This way to truth was overly through the human capacity to reason. He created four rules he used to arrive at truth. He also was the best-known example of a dualist, giving way to accepting a clear section between canvas heed or soul and body. He believed that the body was like a well-oiled machine and the mind could have a dir ect influence on it. John Locke followed Descartes in 1632. He wanted to take epistemology, the study of human knowledge and obtaining it, to a more experimental based group of discipline. Locke spurned the mind of native ideas, only faculties.Some ideas appeared so early in life that they used to believe they were innate but Locke declared that all of our knowledge was derived from experiences. Locke stated that the mind was like a white rag of paper, blank but able to become something great.Experiences add to the paper by sensations and reflections. George Berkeley was another philosopher born in 1685. His work on vision was the first example of how empiricist thinking could be applied to the study of perception. ultimately there is David Hume. He built his knowledge around the base premise that all of our understanding is grow in experience, or impressions vs.ideas.Impressions are basic sensations experienced daily such as feeling pain, eyesight yellow or tasting saltiness. Ideas are faint copies of impressions but are not as vivid. Hume also offered three laws of association resemblance, contiguity, and stick/effect. Resemblance meaning the look of one object can acquire back memories or ideas of another item. Contiguity means intertwining two things together such as the thwack of oranges and the west coast. The greatest of the laws is the law of cause/effect.If one idea causes another idea or memory, the cause reminds you of the effect i.e. burning your hand on the stove while making muffins. When seeing the scar, the memory of muffins willing reappear. Hume also suggested that to conclude that A causes B, one must know 1. When A happens, B must occur regularly, 2. A occurs before B, and 3. B doesnt occur without being preceded by A. In the nineteenth century, psychology shifted from being philosophically based to being more scientific. Scientists and physiologists tried to show the world the reasons behind psychology were in fact based on the senses and the nervous system. One example is the Bell-Magendie law.Both Sir Charles Bell and Francois Magendie both were studying the roots of the postierior and anterior roots of the spinal cord and their functions. Bell was credited with the law because his look was published earlier, though limited, and Bell did not conduct an experiment like Magendie did on puppies. They discovered that the fanny roots control sensation where there is movement still but no sensation. Magendie then divide the anterior root in another animal and the limb was flaccid and unable to move though it still had sensation.To conclude, the science of psychology has always been a changing domain from philosophy to the sciences. It will affect to grow and develop as the world changes and shifts. Descartes started the ball rolling by studying optics and how to arrive at the truth with his four laws. Locke showed the world that it is nurture vs. nature that shapes a person. Hume gave us the three laws of association. In the 19th century psychology developed to include sciences. All of these philosophers and scientists shaped the psychology field to what it is today.