Rene Descartes, James Mill, John Stuart Mill, Immanuel Kant, and Wilhelm Wundt: Key Philosophers and Their Theories

Rene Descartes (1595-1650)

Born in La Haye en Touraine, France.

A philosopher and mathematician, Descartes' great work is Discourse on Method, published in 1637.

In Discourse on Method, he introduces methodical doubt, subjecting all knowledge to rigorous scrutiny.

His famous formulation: "I think, therefore I am."

Descartes aspired to establish firm and lasting foundations in the sciences.

Rules of Method

• The principle of evidence (or methodical doubt).
• The precept of analysis.
• The precept of synthesis.
• The process of verification.

Theory of Two Substances

A substance exists independently, requiring nothing else for its existence.

Part of the cogito (thought): Descartes argues that he is solely a thinking substance, as even the most radical skeptic cannot deny the existence of thought.

The theory of two substances leads to a dualistic worldview. Thought is free and devoid of substance.

The pineal gland, according to Descartes, facilitates mind-body interaction.

Descartes was a prime master of scenarios (deductive method).

He created laws for nature using algebraic equations.

The passions arise from the body and are six in number: amazement, love, hatred, desire, joy, and sadness.

James Mill (1773 - 1836)

Born in Scotland, James Mill was employed by the British East India Company.

Sensations are primary elements of consciousness.

Ideas are generated by sensory organs stimulated by external sources.

He proposed a model of the mind as a cold, calculating machine, a reasoning machine producing associations of ideas.

John Stuart Mill

Considered one of the first to defend women's rights.

He introduced the concept of mental chemistry.

Associations of ideas: An idea = idea + other different ideas.

Immanuel Kant

Kant published his Critique of Pure Reason.

He believed that certain intuitions and categories are innate and not dependent on experience.

Intuitions allow experience to take effect.

The Human Mind is Governed by Three Categories

• Cognition (learning)
• Affect
• Conation (motivation)

These functions are complete where time is a natural prerequisite for all perceptions.

Nothing can exist without time.

Reality, reciprocity, cause and effect, existence, and necessity are key concepts.

Wilhelm Wundt

Considered the first psychologist and founder of scientific psychology.

His theory excludes the individual's spiritual aspects.

He established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany.

He advocated for the use of psychological questionnaires and experimental methods.

In 1873, he published his book Principles of Physiological Psychology.

He studied the characteristics of sensations: quality, intensity, magnitude, and duration.