HISTORY OF EPISTEMOLOGY FOR PSYCHOLOGY 2

After following the course, the student will possess a solid knowledge of the main epistemological theories, something that is needed to understand the scientific status of the various psychological disciplines. The study of epistemology will also contribute, in a decisive way, to the acquisition of the critical spirit that is necessary both to begin a self-learning path and to explain the methodological assumptions of one’s field studies and of the research reported in the scientific literature.

The student will be familiar with the themes and vocabulary of philosophy, which will allow him to understand the philosophical debates that most interest psychologists. Vocabulary is particularly important, because the student will use a specialized vocabulary in this subject, just as in the other subjects he studies. The study of epistemology, or philosophy of science, will also guarantee the possession of the awareness of the complexity of the phenomena that are studied by biological and human sciences (to both of which psychology belongs in many ways) and of the problems that, consequently, are posed to those who try to “map” these phenomena. Finally, the study of the philosophy of science will provide the student with interdisciplinary skills.

The teaching will be carried out through lectures, a method that will ensure the transmission of contents and methods. In order to achieve the objectives relating to learning and communication skills, questions for clarification and deepening by the students will be encouraged during the lessons. Lessons will include guided reading of philosophical texts, in order to develop the ability to understand this kind of writings.

No propaedeutic knowledge is required.

Attendance is strongly recommended, as the professor’s exposition of epistemological theories and explanation of philosophical texts greatly facilitates the students’ acquisition of the content.

The epistemological problems of psychology. The epistemological foundations of the main theoretical paradigms in psychology. Behaviourism. Cognitivism. Social constructionism. Relational systemic approach. Psychoanalysis. Views of moral action. Romanticism and modernism. Psychological formulations and implications for societal action of moral views. Social constructionism. The division of entities based on being-said-of and being-present-in. The ten categories. The criteria that govern interpretative schemes, values, and actions. What is possible or impossible to think in a given historical period. The transformation of forms of knowledge in the transition from one era to the next. The mechanisms that determine the structure and boundaries of disciplines over time. The practical and philosophical implications of the transitory nature of world-framework systems.

1. Marco Castiglioni, Epistemologia e psicologia, EDUCatt 2001, 128 pp. [ISBN 9788883111280]

2. Kenneth J. Gergen, Social Construction and Moral Action, in Social Discourse and Moral Judgement, edited by Daniel N. Robinson, Academic Press 1992, pp. 9-27. [ISBN 0-12-590155-0]

3. Aristotle, Categories and De Interpretatione, edited by J.L. Ackrill, Clarendon Press 1963, pp. 1-42 and 71-112.  [ISBN: 9780198720867]

4. Michel Foucault, The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences, Tavistock 1970, 387 pp.  [ISBN: 0-679-75335-4]

Midterm Exam

Midterm tests on the course content are scheduled for attending students, in the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire administered via Microsoft Teams.

Students must pass this test with a score of at least 18/30 to avoid having to take the official oral exam on that section of the program.

The purpose of the midterm tests is summative, and the assessment results in a grade that is averaged into the final grade.

Final exam.

Oral examination, assessed on the basis of the following elements: relevance of the answers to the questions asked (necessary to pass the exam); content quality, ability to connect the various parts of the course, proper philosophical language, overall expressive skills (all these elements contribute to the final evaluation, provided that the answers are relevant).

What is the difference between theoretical and practical sciences?

What are the assumptions of social constructionism?

What is practical-prescriptive inference?

In what sense has cognitivism been considered a missed revolution?

What does Gergen mean when he speaks of a Romantic conception of morality?

What does Gergen think about the relationship between principles and practice?

What does Aristotle mean by "substance" in the Categories?

What are the types of change according to Aristotle?

Read this passage from Aristotle’s Categories and explain its meaning, placing it in context within the work.

What was the conception of knowledge in the 16th century?

What are the three fundamental models of the human sciences according to Foucault?