chapter 3 Flashcards
(21 cards)
what is individualization
people thinking of themselves as individuals rather than part of a wider group
what does individualisation mean
This meant that it was more acceptable for people to think for themselves and make their won decisions, even if it meant going against traditional family or societal beliefs
why did individualisation happen
Change in political climate (see Foucault)
It was promoted by Christianity (e.g everyone is responsible for their own actions/sins )
Promoted in popular culture
What happened in the 17th and 18th centuries that impacted how people thought about the mind?
the 17th and 18th centuries were characterised by a diversification of thinking about the mind, with new perspectives and ideas emerging.
Why did science and intellectual thought spread more during the 17th and 18th century?
The church was declining in power, which allowed science and intellectual thought to spread more freely without religious constraints.
What was the relationship between science, philosophy, and religion during this 17th and 18th century?
The relationship between science, philosophy, and religion was in flux, as traditional religious views were challenged by new scientific and philosophical ideas.
How did individualization affect people’s thinking during 17th and 18th century?
Individualization led people to think more about their own minds and personal experiences, focusing on their own thoughts and identities.
What types of ways of knowing emerged during the 17th and 18th century?
Multiple epistemologies (ways of knowing) emerged, offering different perspectives on understanding knowledge, reality, and the mind.
Let
what is epistemology ?
How do we know what we do?
How do we understand the world?
The framework that guided how we gain knowledge
what was the reason for the first ‘scientific’ study of the mind
An increased focus on the mind + the growth of positivist epistemological viewpoint
what did the first ‘scientific’ studied of the mind focus on and what were the studies like?
focused on working out the limits of mental processes: vison and memory
These experiments were basic but represented the first attempt to apply the hypothetico-deductive method to mind
what is a hypothetico-deductive method
a scientific method that involves forming hypotheses, testing them, and revising them based on new evidence
when did darwin publish his theory of natural selection
1859
what did the theory of natural selection support
supports the value of positivist science and represents a blow to traditional religion
what did Nietzche propose
Friedrich Nietzsche’s declaration that “God is dead” was a critique of the idea that reason and divinity were linked.
state some issues with the evolutionary theory
It relies on a value system created by humans: what is an evolutionary advantage?
Its impossible to know what will retrospectively be an evolutionary advantage
When humans assign these values they are affected by biases
Evolutionary theory has been used to justify insidious things
what did Galton (1822-1911) do
a cousin of Darwin, the first UK chair of eugenicists, uses contemporary ‘science’ to advocate sterilization of marginalized groups
where was the eugenics movement more successful and what is it
The eugenics movement was more successful in the US where it became legal to forcibly sterilize people with disabilities, those in prisons and some communities of racial minorities
These ideas were eventually adopted by nazi Germany
why was the eugenics movement made possible
These movements were made possible because of the power of there (supposed) scientific backing
The rising positivist movement was powered (in part) by the fact that..
…scientific theories can be tested and confirmed or contradicted
what is believed about statistics
Statistics are often believed to hold independent and objective truth
Galton’s contemporaries were some of the first statisticians
