PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE FOR
PSYCHOLOGISTS
2020/2021
( Lectures + Book)
Loranne Tassadogh
, Lecture 1
What is the philosophy of ● The critical reflection on what science is, does and how it generates
science? knowledge.
What is science?
[A] We use the word often and use that in the right manner;
[B] But what are the characteristics of science?
→ We have an idea but no clear answer, we use it well and know when
it's being used incorrectly.
Why POS for psychology
students? ● Knowledge: be able to determine ( know) what is and isn't a science ( and if
psychology is one.
● Skills: have the skills to critically reflect on questions like: Is it justified to call
--- a science. ( There is a replication crisis in psychology).
● Character: Knowledge and skills also serve another goal: building of
character → the goal is for us to be better psychologists, better scientists and
better citizens.
Epistemology ● Philosophy of science started with -- : It is the theory of knowledge. ( science
didn't exist yet so the questions were about knowledge)
● 3 questions
→ What is (certain) knowledge?
→ How can we justify that knowledge?
→ What is the source of knowledge?
● 2 views: ( both think it is possible to have real knowledge)
→ Rationalism
, → Empiricism
Skepticism ● Socrates ( plato’s teacher) in the market square as an example ( asks difficult
questions, convicted for confusing students using his “ socratic method”)
● “ Perhaps the conclusion must is that we do not know anything at all, and
never will”
Rationalism ● Central claim: real knowledge stems from our reason (ratio). ( against
skeptics).
● Associated claim: there is innate knowledge ( = nativism)
● People: plato and descartes
Plato ● Rationalist ( extreme one)
● The source of knowledge is reason.
● Anamnesis: to learn is to remember → in other words there is no NEW
knowledge, you only remember.
● Why did he claim this ? believed in reincarnation & before you were born
your soul already possessed knowledge. But you lost all that knowledge when
you were born ( trauma). You then remember this info using your reason
( ratio).
● Episteme versus doxa
● Responds to Heraclites
Episteme ● Knowledge of how things are.
→ Knowledge ( plato) = justified and true belief.
Doxa Opinion of how things are.
- Are is highlighted ( in both) because to him knowledge is fact so how things
ARE.
, Plato responds to Heraclites ● H- “ panta rhei” everything in the world we can perceive with our senses is
constantly changing ( river).
● PL- if everything changes then nothing is, if knowledge is about how things
are and what we perceive then we cannot have knowledge about the world we
perceive ( constant flux). → That means we can only acquire doxa not
episteme.
….. BUT that would be skepticism and Plato did not like this so he created
a solution → the allegory of the cave in which things are stable and we
can acquire knowledge. Since we cannot have knowledge of this world
( which is ultimately what he wants - knowledge) then there has to be a
different world.
Plato’s allegory of the cave
● Ideas & Forms exist in a stable form in a different world, the world of forms
and ideas.
● Meno : as an example
● Our soul belongs to that world ( that's why reincarnation leads to
remembering)
● Anamnesis: acquiring knowledge is to remember ideas from the other world.
→ Example: prisoners are born in a cave and they are only able to see
shadows of a chair, they mistake it for the real chair. . It's similar to the idea
‘ chair’ that is in the world of ideas (stable) and the chair you are sitting on
( which is changing / ei.the shadow). But your soul has seen the idea chair
( in the world of forms) it knows what the idea ‘chair’ refers to. Real
knowledge is knowledge is knowledge about the idea and you have to use
your ratio for this.
Empiricism ● General claim: The source of knowledge is the experience gained through
sensory perception/ sensory experience. This is a common sense view: if you
want to know how something is you have to look ( or listen)
● Associated claim: if all knowledge comes from experience ( perception) there
is no innate knowledge.
● People: Aristotle, British empiricists
PSYCHOLOGISTS
2020/2021
( Lectures + Book)
Loranne Tassadogh
, Lecture 1
What is the philosophy of ● The critical reflection on what science is, does and how it generates
science? knowledge.
What is science?
[A] We use the word often and use that in the right manner;
[B] But what are the characteristics of science?
→ We have an idea but no clear answer, we use it well and know when
it's being used incorrectly.
Why POS for psychology
students? ● Knowledge: be able to determine ( know) what is and isn't a science ( and if
psychology is one.
● Skills: have the skills to critically reflect on questions like: Is it justified to call
--- a science. ( There is a replication crisis in psychology).
● Character: Knowledge and skills also serve another goal: building of
character → the goal is for us to be better psychologists, better scientists and
better citizens.
Epistemology ● Philosophy of science started with -- : It is the theory of knowledge. ( science
didn't exist yet so the questions were about knowledge)
● 3 questions
→ What is (certain) knowledge?
→ How can we justify that knowledge?
→ What is the source of knowledge?
● 2 views: ( both think it is possible to have real knowledge)
→ Rationalism
, → Empiricism
Skepticism ● Socrates ( plato’s teacher) in the market square as an example ( asks difficult
questions, convicted for confusing students using his “ socratic method”)
● “ Perhaps the conclusion must is that we do not know anything at all, and
never will”
Rationalism ● Central claim: real knowledge stems from our reason (ratio). ( against
skeptics).
● Associated claim: there is innate knowledge ( = nativism)
● People: plato and descartes
Plato ● Rationalist ( extreme one)
● The source of knowledge is reason.
● Anamnesis: to learn is to remember → in other words there is no NEW
knowledge, you only remember.
● Why did he claim this ? believed in reincarnation & before you were born
your soul already possessed knowledge. But you lost all that knowledge when
you were born ( trauma). You then remember this info using your reason
( ratio).
● Episteme versus doxa
● Responds to Heraclites
Episteme ● Knowledge of how things are.
→ Knowledge ( plato) = justified and true belief.
Doxa Opinion of how things are.
- Are is highlighted ( in both) because to him knowledge is fact so how things
ARE.
, Plato responds to Heraclites ● H- “ panta rhei” everything in the world we can perceive with our senses is
constantly changing ( river).
● PL- if everything changes then nothing is, if knowledge is about how things
are and what we perceive then we cannot have knowledge about the world we
perceive ( constant flux). → That means we can only acquire doxa not
episteme.
….. BUT that would be skepticism and Plato did not like this so he created
a solution → the allegory of the cave in which things are stable and we
can acquire knowledge. Since we cannot have knowledge of this world
( which is ultimately what he wants - knowledge) then there has to be a
different world.
Plato’s allegory of the cave
● Ideas & Forms exist in a stable form in a different world, the world of forms
and ideas.
● Meno : as an example
● Our soul belongs to that world ( that's why reincarnation leads to
remembering)
● Anamnesis: acquiring knowledge is to remember ideas from the other world.
→ Example: prisoners are born in a cave and they are only able to see
shadows of a chair, they mistake it for the real chair. . It's similar to the idea
‘ chair’ that is in the world of ideas (stable) and the chair you are sitting on
( which is changing / ei.the shadow). But your soul has seen the idea chair
( in the world of forms) it knows what the idea ‘chair’ refers to. Real
knowledge is knowledge is knowledge about the idea and you have to use
your ratio for this.
Empiricism ● General claim: The source of knowledge is the experience gained through
sensory perception/ sensory experience. This is a common sense view: if you
want to know how something is you have to look ( or listen)
● Associated claim: if all knowledge comes from experience ( perception) there
is no innate knowledge.
● People: Aristotle, British empiricists
