Aristotle on Earlier Greek Psychology


Book Description

This volume is the first in English to provide a full, systematic investigation into Aristotle's criticisms of earlier Greek theories of the soul from the perspective of his theory of scientific explanation. Some interpreters of the De Anima have seen Aristotle's criticisms of Presocratic, Platonic, and other views about the soul as unfair or dialectical, but Jason W. Carter argues that Aristotle's criticisms are in fact a justified attempt to test the adequacy of earlier theories in terms of the theory of scientific knowledge he advances in the Posterior Analytics. Carter proposes a new interpretation of Aristotle's confrontations with earlier psychology, showing how his reception of other Greek philosophers shaped his own hylomorphic psychology and led him to adopt a novel dualist theory of the soul–body relation. His book will be important for students and scholars of Aristotle, ancient Greek psychology, and the history of the mind–body problem.







Empedocles' Psychological Doctrine


Book Description

Excerpt from Empedocles' Psychological Doctrine: In Its Original and in Its Traditional Setting Subsequent Greek philosophers and historians of philosophy, in giv ing their account of this naturalistic psychology, rewrote it into the language and doctrines of their own or contemporary systems and made nonsense of most of it. Plato alone took the position seriously and with some appreciation, and it is from his controversy that most is to be learned. Some light is thrown on the subject by examination of the genuine works of Hippocrates who was bred in the tradition and was in a high degree capable of appreciating it. It is also in this connection interest ing to note that, although all traces of the meaning Of the early view have died out in philosophical literature by the time Of Theophrastus, they apparently survived to an extent in Galen, the physician (second century. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.




Form without Matter


Book Description

Mark Eli Kalderon presents an original study in the philosophy of perception written in the medium of historiography. He considers the phenomenology and metaphysics of sensory presentation through the examination of an ancient aporia. Specifically, he argues that a puzzle about perception at a distance is behind Empedocles' theory of vision. Empedocles conceives of perception as a mode of material assimilation, but this raises a puzzle about color vision, since color vision seems to present colors that inhere in distant objects. But if the colors inhere in distant objects how can they be taken in by the organ of sight and so be palpable to sense? Aristotle purports to resolve this puzzle in his definition of perception as the assimilation of sensible form without the matter of the perceived particular. Aristotle explicitly criticizes Empedocles, though he is keen to retain the idea that perception is a mode of assimilation, if not a material mode. Aristotle's notorious definition has long puzzled commentators. Kalderon shows how, read in light of Empedoclean puzzlement about the sensory presentation of remote objects, Aristotle's definition of perception can be better understood. Moreover, when so read, the resulting conception of perception is both attractive and defensible.




Empedocles' Psychological Doctrine in Its Original and in Its Traditional Setting


Book Description

An examination of the ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles' theories of human psychology, placing them in their historical and philosophical context. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




Elsevier's Dictionary of Psychological Theories


Book Description

In attempting to understand and explain various behaviour, events, and phenomena in their field, psychologists have developed and enunciated an enormous number of 'best guesses' or theories concerning the phenomenon in question. Such theories involve speculations and statements that range on a potency continuum from 'strong' to 'weak'. The term theory, itself, has been conceived of in various ways in the psychological literature. In the present dictionary, the strategy of lumping together all the various traditional descriptive labels regarding psychologists 'best guesses' under the single descriptive term theory has been adopted. The descriptive labels of principle, law, theory, model, paradigm, effect, hypothesis and doctrine are attached to many of the entries, and all such descriptive labels are subsumed under the umbrella term theory.The title of this dictionary emphasizes the term theory (implying both strong and weak best guesses) and is a way of indication, overall, the contents of this comprehensive dictionary in a parsimonious and felicitous fashion.The dictionary will contain approximately 2,000 terms covering the origination, development, and evolution of various psychological concepts, as well as the historical definition, analysis, and criticisms of psychological concepts. Terms and definitions are in English.*Contains over 2,000 terms covering the origination, development and evolution of various psychological concepts*Covers a wide span of theories, from auditory, cognitive tactile and visual to humor and imagery*An essential resource for psychologists needing a single-source quick reference




General Psychological Theory


Book Description

A re-release of a volume of essays on the psychotherapy founder's famous themes includes coverage of a range of his intellectual and theoretical concepts, from the unconscious and the Oedipus complex to defense mechanisms and dream symbolism. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.







Animal Minds and Human Morals


Book Description

Sorabji surveys a vast range of Greek philosophical texts and considers how classical discussions of animals' capacities intersect with central questions, not only in ethics but in the definition of human rationality as well.