Proiectul lui C. Rădulescu-Motru de fundamentare a psihologiei ca știință a naturii

Abstract

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In his early writings, Rădulescu-Motru acknowledged as a valuable gain the fact that psychology had emancipated itself from the tutelage of metaphysics. However, he believed that this progress could not lead to a scientific psychology unless its outcomes were integrated into the broader scientific understanding of nature. In the following, I will discuss Rădulescu-Motru’s ideas concerning the founding of psychology as a natural science. His project essentially involves three directions: (1) conceptual reconsideration, (2) uniformization, and (3) regulation of the soul. I will also show that throughout this process, Rădulescu-Motru remained committed to methodological naturalism.

Keywords

• soul vs. psychic contents
• consciousness
• natural vs. psychic laws
• naturalism
• instrumentalism
• scientific psychology