From Soul to Psychology: The Emergence of Psychology, from Erasmus Darwin to William James: The Emergence of Psychology, from Erasmus Darwin to William James

Author: Reid
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-07-01
Features: This book is a history of psychology that challenges tradition and authority. It implicitly criticizes the gradual narrowing and scientification of the subject of psychology over two centuries—from the soul to the mind—and presents a fresh perspective that modern philosophy separated from psychology, rather than the other way around. A bold, novel, and controversial history of psychology, it is more about implicitly critiquing the gradual narrowing of the subject of psychology over two centuries—from the "soul" to the "mind"—and how its current "scientific" status has reduced its rich potential. The book mentions many figures not commonly found in traditional histories of psychology, such as Shelley and his wife, Lewis, and Stevenson, whose contributions to psychology help us appreciate the fascinating era of the 19th century, when science was gradually gaining appeal and the discipline remained relatively unified. The interactions and connections between philosophy, religion, literature, physiology, and even the social, cultural, and psychological currents of the time not only reveal the author's grand knowledge system and research perspective but also reflect his unique insights into the discipline of "the history of psychology." Contrary to traditional views, he argues that modern philosophy separated from psychology in the 19th century. This groundbreaking yet self-consistent perspective has earned it praise from the American journal Library Journal, which commented, "Reid will change the way we think about the past 250 years."