Wundt and the Philosophical Foundations of Psychology: A Reappraisal

by Saulo de Freitas Araujo

This book reassesses the seminal work of Wilhelm Wundt by discussing the history and philosophy of psychology. It traces the pioneering theorist’s intellectual development and the evolution of psychology throughout his career. The author draws on little-known sources to situate psychological concepts in Wundt’s philosophical thought and address common myths and misconceptions relating to Wundt’s ideas. The ideas presented in this book show why Wundt’s work remains relevant in this era of ongoing mind/brain debate and interest continues in the links between psychology and philosophy. Featured topics Wundt and the Philosophical Foundations of Psychology is a valuable resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students in cognitive and related psychology and philosophy disciplines.

276 pages, Hardcover

Published January 6, 2016

Reviews

[Ivan Flis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very thick reappraisal of Wundt the philosopher, casting a critical eye toward much of late 20th century Wundtian scholarship, especially after the "new" history of psychology social turn in history of psychology. It's very densely written, but considering its aim of providing the reappraisal of the large and complex philosophical system Wundt developed and updated throughout his life, a less dense treatment would not do the subject justice. If you plan to read it for elaborate descriptions of Wundt's Leipzig experiments which were built into psychologists' disciplinary consciousness via American experimental psychology, don't read this book. However, if you are looking for a nuanced, and from the perspective of contemporary scientific psychology radically different project of the science of the mind, dig in and be prepared for a very complicated book!