Tracing the Roots of Psychology: The Pre-Socratic Era
PSYCHOLOGY BEFORE SCIENCE
Did you know that psychology was once considered a branch of philosophy? Today, it’s a robust science exploring every aspect of human behavior.
We often think of the field of psychology as a newborn whose roots started in 1879 in Germany with Wilhelm Wundt. But it’s not the full truth. Though it started as a scientific discipline much later, it was not a separate field before. Ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle tried to understand human behavior and mind.
The psychology world originated from the Greek word psyche and logos.
Psyched (Soul) + Logos (Study)
Which means psychology is the scientific study of the human soul (mind and behavior).
Pre Socratic Era
Pre-Socratic philosophy includes the ideas of thinkers who lived before and during Socrates's time, except for Protagoras, a Sophist. These early philosophers mostly explored topics like nature, math, and how the universe began. Their work set the stage for future philosophical and scientific ideas, affecting the thoughts of later figures like Socrates and Plato. contemporaneously with Socrates, excluding the Sophist Protagoras. These early philosophers were primarily concerned with the natural world, mathematics, and the universe's origins. Their inquiries laid the groundwork for later philosophical and scientific thought, including the ideas of Socrates and Plato.
Key Features of Pre-Socratic Philosophy
1. Focus on the Natural World:
The Pre-Socratics were intrigued by natural phenomena and sought to explain the world in terms of natural causes rather than supernatural or mythological explanations.
This represented a shift from mythological interpretations of the world to rational, naturalistic explanations.
2. Mathematics and Form:
They were interested in the underlying principles and forms that govern the natural world. Mathematics was a crucial tool for understanding these principles.
For instance, the Pythagoreans believed that numbers and mathematical relations were fundamental to understanding the universe.
3. Origins and Mechanics:
◦ The Pre-Socratics sought to understand the origins of the universe and the fundamental substances and forces that constitute it.
They formulated various hypotheses about the primary elements (e.g., water, air, fire) and the mechanisms of change and transformation in the natural world.
Pre-Socratic Philosophers
The Milesian School
1. Thales (c. 624-546 BCE):
Proposed that water is the fundamental substance (arche) of the universe.
Believed everything in the material world originates from water, which can transform into different forms.
2. Anaximander (c. 610-546 BCE):
Introduced the concept of the "apeiron" (the boundless or infinite) as the origin of all things.
Proposed a cosmology where the universe evolves from the apeiron through a process of differentiation involving pairs of opposites (e.g., hot/cold, wet/dry).
3. Anaximenes (c. 586-526 BCE):
Suggested that air is the primary substance, and all things arise from it through processes of rarefaction and condensation.
Air transforms into various forms, such as fire, wind, clouds, water, and earth.
The Pythagorean School
1. Pythagoras (c. 570-495 BCE):
Founded a school that combined religious mysticism with mathematical and scientific inquiry.
Believed in the transmigration of souls and the idea that numbers and mathematical ratios are the essence of all things.
Introduced the concept of the harmony of the spheres, suggesting that celestial bodies move according to mathematical ratios, producing a cosmic harmony.
Heraclitus (c. 535-475 BCE)
Known for his doctrine of change, encapsulated in the phrase "everything flows" (panta rhei).
Proposed that fire is the fundamental substance and that change and conflict (strife) are inherent in the universe.
Introduced the concept of the Logos, a rational principle that governs the cosmos and maintains order through the balance of opposites.
The Eleatic School
Parmenides (c. 515-450 BCE):
Argued that reality is unchanging and that change is an illusion.
Proposed that what exists is a single, indivisible, and eternal "Being."
Emphasized the use of reason over sensory experience to understand the truth.
Zeno of Elea (c. 490-430 BCE):
He is known for his paradoxes, which aimed to support Parmenides' view by demonstrating the logical problems with the concepts of plurality and motion.
Famous paradoxes include the Achilles and the Tortoise, the Arrow, and the Dichotomy
Empedocles (c. 490-430 BCE)
Proposed a pluralistic cosmology with four root elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
Introduced the forces of Love and Strife as principles of attraction and repulsion that cause the mixture and separation of elements.
Suggested a cyclical process of creation and destruction in the universe.
Anaxagoras (c. 500-428 BCE)
Introduced the concept of Nous (Mind) as the fundamental principle that initiates and controls the cosmos.
Proposed that everything contains a part of everything else and that the apparent diversity of the world arises from the different proportions of these parts.
The Atomists: Leucippus and Democritus
Leucippus (c. 5th century BCE) and Democritus (c. 460-370 BCE):
◦ Proposed that the universe comprises indivisible units called atoms, moving in the void (empty space).
Suggested that all phenomena result from the interactions and combinations of atoms.
Their ideas laid the foundation for the later development of atomic theory in science.
Pre-Socratic philosophy represents the early stages of Western philosophical thought, characterized by a shift from mythological to rational explanations of the natural world. The pre-Socratic philosophers laid the groundwork for later developments in philosophy and science by seeking naturalistic explanations for the origins and mechanics of the universe, exploring the role of mathematics and form, and questioning the nature of reality and change. Their inquiries set the stage for Socratic and Platonic thought, emphasizing the importance of reason, critical thinking, and the pursuit of knowledge. Understanding pre-Socratic philosophy provides valuable insights into the evolution of philosophical inquiry and its impact on subsequent intellectual traditions.