Philosophy vs. Psychology
Diandra Garcia
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Opinion
DIANDRA GARCIA
Opinion Editor
If you ever sat in a class that wasn't yours-on purpose-you might just learn something.
On Jan. 25, my philosophy class was cancelled due to weather concerns. So I decided to join my friend, junior psychology major, Yelitza Gaona, in her Research Methodology class instead since I had nothing else to do.
Professor Nancie Taylor was kind enough to allow me to shadow the class. She even allowed me to participate in class discussions. It was the very first class, so it was mostly an introductory lesson. Among the three hours of sitting in my second psychology class ever taken, I learned more about human beings, and why anybody should even care, than I ever learned before.
I learned psychology's ABCs. The A is affect or the way that we feel. B is behavior. C is cognition, the way that we think. This is important for any psychology research. And that is exactly what psychology essentially is-research. Years ago, according to Professor Taylor, psychology and psychiatry attempted "brainwashing" and other "human control techniques" which are practically non-existent now. The role of the science, now, is to study the mind and its behavior. Why? The goal is to eventually understand mental life.
We discussed different types of addictions-smoking, drinking, sex and gambling (which are more compulsions)-and how research has shown that age makes a difference on influencing these habits. We discussed the woman who was murdered in 1964 in front of about 40 people, and nobody allegedly called the police or went to help. Research analysis? We, as humans, among a group of bystanders, react in a diffusion of responsibility. That is, we tend to avoid taking responsibility to act, thinking that others will do it before we do. Fascinating.
The professor made it clear that psychology is not always going to be correct. Their research is not always going to be reliable. But the fact that scientists dedicate their lives to actually monitor and research behavior advances civilization as we know it.
My minor is philosophy. And, from sitting in Yelitza's class, I realized psychology and philosophy actually connect in various ways. Whereas philosophy includes a belief of a specific thing in a specific time, psychology must always have evidence of that belief. Philosophy is an art, and psychology is a science. One embraces values, the other on substantiation. Still, it is refreshing to know that both exist.
Diandra Garcia can be reached at dg85810n@pace.edu
Opinion Editor
If you ever sat in a class that wasn't yours-on purpose-you might just learn something.
On Jan. 25, my philosophy class was cancelled due to weather concerns. So I decided to join my friend, junior psychology major, Yelitza Gaona, in her Research Methodology class instead since I had nothing else to do.
Professor Nancie Taylor was kind enough to allow me to shadow the class. She even allowed me to participate in class discussions. It was the very first class, so it was mostly an introductory lesson. Among the three hours of sitting in my second psychology class ever taken, I learned more about human beings, and why anybody should even care, than I ever learned before.
I learned psychology's ABCs. The A is affect or the way that we feel. B is behavior. C is cognition, the way that we think. This is important for any psychology research. And that is exactly what psychology essentially is-research. Years ago, according to Professor Taylor, psychology and psychiatry attempted "brainwashing" and other "human control techniques" which are practically non-existent now. The role of the science, now, is to study the mind and its behavior. Why? The goal is to eventually understand mental life.
We discussed different types of addictions-smoking, drinking, sex and gambling (which are more compulsions)-and how research has shown that age makes a difference on influencing these habits. We discussed the woman who was murdered in 1964 in front of about 40 people, and nobody allegedly called the police or went to help. Research analysis? We, as humans, among a group of bystanders, react in a diffusion of responsibility. That is, we tend to avoid taking responsibility to act, thinking that others will do it before we do. Fascinating.
The professor made it clear that psychology is not always going to be correct. Their research is not always going to be reliable. But the fact that scientists dedicate their lives to actually monitor and research behavior advances civilization as we know it.
My minor is philosophy. And, from sitting in Yelitza's class, I realized psychology and philosophy actually connect in various ways. Whereas philosophy includes a belief of a specific thing in a specific time, psychology must always have evidence of that belief. Philosophy is an art, and psychology is a science. One embraces values, the other on substantiation. Still, it is refreshing to know that both exist.
Diandra Garcia can be reached at dg85810n@pace.edu
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