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Physicalism, introspection, and psychophysics
the Carnap/Duncker exchange
pp. 113-125
Résumé
In 1932, Rudolf Carnap published his article "Psychology in a Physical Language." The article prompted a critical response by the Gestalt psychologist Karl Duncker. The exchange is marked by mutual lack of comprehension. In this paper I will provide a contextualized explication of the exchange. I will show that Carnap's physicalism was deeply rooted in the psychophysical tradition that also informed Gestalt psychological research. By failing to acknowledge this, Carnap missed out on the possibility to enter into a serious debate and to forge an alliance with a like-minded psychologist at the time. I conclude by suggesting that the kind of physicalism practiced by Gestalt psychologists deserves to be taken seriously by current philosophy of psychology.
Détails de la publication
Publié dans:
Adams Marcus P, Biener Zvi, Feest Uljana, Sullivan Jacqueline A. (2017) Eppur si muove: doing history and philosophy of science with Peter Machamer. Dordrecht, Springer.
Pages: 113-125
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52768-0_8
Citation complète:
Feest Uljana, 2017, Physicalism, introspection, and psychophysics: the Carnap/Duncker exchange. In M.P. Adams, Z. Biener, U. Feest & J. Sullivan (eds.) Eppur si muove (113-125). Dordrecht, Springer.