Rene Descartes and the Roots of Psychology

Psychology is most commonly placed under the category of social science; however the field of psychology incorporates other fields as well such as natural sciences (math, chemistry, and biology) and humanities (philosophy, history, and religion). In some cases it is beneficial to separate the physical realm from the mental realm, but in the case of psychology it is difficult to separate the two concepts. Behavioral psych (physical) vs. cognitive psych (mental) is the product of this attempt at separation around the 1950’s, both sides having pros and cons. Today the field of psychology is really at its prime when all of these subjects can be used together, and though there are specific sub-fields of psych, they are all related in this way. 

 I was quite surprised, though, when in my research I started to explore the substantial impact that mathematics in particular have had on the evolution of psychology. Focusing specifically on Rene Descartes and what discoveries he has made, I found that we have him to thank for greatly influencing the direction the subject has followed. He was a mathematician and philosopher who lived from 1596-1650. He was most comfortable in the subject of math because everything was very definite. His ultimate quest seemed to be to find the absolute truths in life.

 He was a very logical and rational thinker, and would doubt anything that he could not prove to be true. This is one reason why he favored the subject of math and tried to apply those methods to other areas of study to obtain a certainty of truth. Thus he was lead to devise the following system of rules for his method of reasoning:

1. To proceed by means of doubt, to take nothing for granted, to avoid bias and prejudgment;
2. To divide the substance of the argument into the simplest parts;
3. To proceed step by step from the simple to the more complex;
4. To “enumerate” and review so as to make sure nothing is missed in the argument, and that as many sources for the correct conclusion as possible may be collated

 I found it interesting that, in essence, Descartes’s method of reasoning is the scientific method we currently use: to make an observation, propose a theory, specifically define your research question and variables, gather evidence to develop a hypothesis, then test and retest for an absolute result. This process based on mathematical thinking is fundamental to any field of research science, and it is so important because it’s not safe to assume when you’re in a real world application. Psychologists use systems like this every day. 

 Even though this method gave Descartes a way to test the authenticity of things, it also gave him reason to doubt many things—including his own existence. After meditating on the issue, he came to the conclusion “I think, therefore I am.” He wouldn’t be able to doubt the existence of himself unless he first existed in order to do the doubting. After coming up with that famous phrase/idea, Descartes pondered on the idea of dualism: though we are one being, we have two separate parts, a body and a soul, that don’t necessarily need each other but still work together.

 

I concluded that I was a thing or substance whose whole essence or nature was only to think, and which, to exist has no need of space nor of any material thing or body. Thus, it follows that this ego, this mind, this soul, by which I am what I am, is entirely distinct from the body and is easier to know than the latter, and that even if the body were not, the soul would not cease to be all that it now is.

Prior to Descartes, it was thought that the soul controlled the body. But through further study and the dissection of animals, he associated the body as being like a machine. His belief was that animals are completely autonomous and only humans had a mind, but our bodies are also autonomous and can act independent from the mind. For example, the body can be split and different parts removed, but the soul stays intact. However, even though they are two separate things, mind and body are still able to interact causally. Another important part of his idea is that it associated the mind with knowledge, emotion, and reasoning. Before, mental processing was considered a physical behavior, but to Descartes it was a whole new realm. Today this logical approach is a very interesting and controversial topic when associated with psychology. Neuroscientists tend to believe in materialism (that physical begets mental) over dualism, but some still favor the Cartesian theory. Whichever you favor could drastically affect the way you perceive test results, make correlations, assume causality, or treat a patient while in the field.

Another great influence that the mathematical approach has had on the science of psychology is the invention of the Cartesian Plane. It is said that Descartes discovered the coordinate system when watching a fly on the wall and realized it was possible to describe its location using numbers. This lead to the link between algebra and geometry. Because of his discovery, we are now able to easily grasp the concept of independent and dependent variables and make graphs to show correlations found by quantitative research.Used in combination with the scientific method, these tools have been utilized by research psychologists.

Rene Descartes has given the world much more than a philosophical statement and a coordinate plane: his works have greatly impacted modern society. Without these advancements in mathematics and logical reasoning, the field of psychology would not be nearly as expansive as it is today, and as a result our knowledge about human functioning would be much more primitive. This is why it is so important that psychology is associated with other fields of study. It is also important not to underestimate the significance of mathematics in the modern world and across all areas of our lives. 

Sources:

• Cartesian Dualism: Mind anf Brain Interaction 
• Descartes and Kant: Philosophical Origins of Psychology 
• Dualism 
• Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
• Rene Descartes 
• *my general knowledge of  psychology and the scientific method are accredited to Rob Mansell's psychology classes at CCC