It was in the middle of the 19th century that psychology was established as a science on its own. But ideas about human nature are much older than psychology. The origins of psychology can be traced back to Ancient Greek philosophers and important thinkers in Europe.
Ancient Greek Philosophers
Thinkers like Plato and Aristotle were the first to ask some questions that are so critical to the science of psychology. Some of these questions still do not have a complete answer, and psychologists are still examining these questions today. One of the most important of these is “Are people’s cognitive abilities and knowledge innate or acquired later on?” is the question. Plato argues that some knowledge is innate. For example, children in every culture understand that words and sentences can be formed from sounds and can learn their mother tongue without any special education. In this case, Plato argues that children are born with a knowledge of language. On the other hand, according to Aristotle, when the human brain is born, it is a “tabula rasa”, a blank slate, and is shaped by later experiences. From Aristotle’s point of view, language learning develops around the child’s experiences.
Today, it is unlikely that knowledge or abilities are completely innate or formed entirely by experience. But “Are people’s cognitive abilities and knowledge innate or acquired?” The question is a question that psychologists continue to debate today and that they also benefit from the perspectives of Greek philosophers while answering.
French and German Thinkers
One of the philosophers who formed the basis of psychology is the French thinker René Descartes, who lived in the 17th century. According to Descartes, the brain and the mind are different from each other. The brain is made of tangible matter, while the mind is a spiritual being. The idea that the brain and mind are separate but interacting is called dualism.
After Descartes, thinking about the brain and mind continued. The German thinker Franz Joseph Gall came up with a theory called phrenology (the science of the skull). According to phrenology, different parts of the brain perform different tasks. Phrenology claims that it is possible to understand a person’s characteristics and abilities from the indentations and protrusions on the skull. This theory forms the basis of cognitive psychology today. However, phrenology has no validity in psychology today. The use of scientific methods in seeking answers to questions about human nature began in the 19th century. Various schools of thought were influential in psychology during this period.
