HISTORY OF EPISTEMOLOGY FOR PSYCHOLOGY 1

The course in History of Epistemology for Psychology is intended to contribute to the development of the methodological foundations for the study and practice of psychology. To this end, it provides a historical reconstruction of the main stages in the epistemological debate, from its origins to the contemporary period, with particular attention to the relationships between theory of knowledge, scientific practices, the human sciences, and psychology.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

- identify the main problems, authors, and approaches in the history of epistemology;

- understand the main models of scientific knowledge within their historical contexts;

- understand how some epistemological issues relevant to psychology have developed, with particular reference to the relationships between mind and body, subjectivity and objectivity, scientific practices, and knowledge of the psychic dimension;-

- understand the contribution of philosophical and epistemological reflection to the historical and methodological foundations of psychology.

Applying knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

- use epistemological concepts and categories to critically analyse the methods, practices, and results of scientific and psychological research;

- compare different theoretical and methodological perspectives, identifying their assumptions, implications, and limitations.

Making judgements

The course aims to develop students’ ability to formulate independent and well-reasoned assessments of epistemological problems related to scientific and psychological research and to reflect critically on different models of knowledge. This ability will be developed through discussion of the issues addressed in the course, comparison between different theoretical perspectives, and interactive classroom activities.

Communication skills

Students will be able to present and discuss epistemological problems, texts, and arguments clearly and using appropriate disciplinary terminology. Communication skills will be developed through class discussion and group activities.

Learning skills

The course aims to provide conceptual and methodological tools that enable students to independently explore epistemological, historical-philosophical, and psychological issues in greater depth and to develop a critical reflection on the theoretical and methodological foundations of their education in psychology.

The course includes both Didactic Delivery (DE) and Interactive Teaching (DI) activities.

Didactic Delivery mainly consists of lectures, supported by presentations and teaching materials, aimed at enabling students to acquire the historical, philosophical, and epistemological knowledge covered by the course.

Interactive Teaching includes classroom discussions, review and formative assessment activities, the analysis and discussion of problems, and group work to be subsequently presented in class.

The review and discussion activities carried out during lessons are intended to monitor learning and do not constitute examination tests.

If the course is delivered in blended or remote mode (for pandemic-related reasons or in cases of force majeure), the necessary adjustments may be made to the arrangements described above in order to ensure that the programme set out in this syllabus is fully covered.

Attendance is not compulsory but is strongly recommended. Participation in lectures and interactive activities facilitates understanding of the connections between the different topics covered in the course and contributes to the development of the critical analysis, argumentation, discussion, and communication skills specified in the learning outcomes.

The course is divided into three sections, devoted respectively to the fundamental problems of epistemology, the contemporary epistemological debate, and the relationships between epistemology and psychology.

1. Fundamental problems of epistemology

A historical introduction to the main problems of the theory of knowledge: the problem of knowledge and scepticism; the senses and knowledge of reality; empiricist psychology; appearance and reality; primary and secondary qualities; empiricism and idealism; Hume and the problem of induction; the rationalist alternative; Descartes; Kant and the synthetic a priori; non-Euclidean geometries; theories of truth; fallibilist realism.

This section of the course provides the conceptual tools required to critically understand some of the main problems concerning the construction and validity of scientific knowledge.

2. The twentieth-century epistemological debate

The second section is devoted to the main transformations in contemporary epistemology and to the critical discussion of models of scientific rationality: the Received View and its critics; Thomas Kuhn and scientific paradigms; Paul K. Feyerabend and methodological pluralism; sociology of science; feminist approaches to science; complexity and constructivism; relationships between science and society.

3. Epistemology and psychology

The third section explores topics of particular relevance to psychology and to its relationships with epistemology and, more generally, with philosophy.

For the academic year in question, the following topics will be addressed: the influence of Kant on Freud’s thought; Wilhelm Reich’s naturalism; Gregory Bateson’s ecology of mind; dream, myth, and symbolism in the knowledge of inner reality.

These thematic studies are intended to relate general epistemological problems to specific issues concerning the study of the mind, the psychic dimension, and the methods of psychology.

1. A. Musgrave, Common Sense, Science and Scepticism, Cambridge University Press, 1993 [320 pp.]
2. P. Feyerabend, Against Method: Outline of an Anarchistic Theory of Knowledge, Verso, 2010 (1975) [328 pp.] 
3. E. Coco, Sirens. Some notes on the history and the philosophical implications of a “naturalised” myth, “Paradigmi", 04/11/22,  pp. 1-19, DOI: 10.30460/105221, ISSN: 1120-3404. 

During the course, one or more in-progress tests (agreed upon in advance in class) will be held to help you assess your learning progress. The final assessment takes the form of an oral interview.

As a general guideline, the assessment criteria adopted are set out below: Adequacy of expression and clarity of exposition; Ability to rework knowledge; Ability to organise knowledge thematically and to make connections between different authors and/or problems, correctly arguing the reasons for any proposed connections; Breadth of thematic awareness and lexical correctness; Capacity for critical investigation; Ability to make interdisciplinary connections.

1. What problems does the use of the senses pose when constructing objective knowledge?

2. What are the differences and commonalities between rationalism and empiricism?

3. Are there any reciprocal influences between science and society? 

4. What value can dreams have within a theory of knowledge?

5. What methodological contrasts did Freud and Jung have?

NB: These questions are for illustrative purposes and are therefore not binding. The examination will be carried out in the manner of an open conversion aimed at assessing not only the candidate's knowledge, but also her/his critical and expository capacity, language property, familiarity with technical jargon and ability to express functional and creative intellectual performance. In this regard, it should be noted that the lectures include moments of exchange between the lecturer and the participants that prepare them to intervene critically in the manner listed above.